Another stupid trademark violation
RANT WARNING
No matter how much I try, Amazon does everything to ensure selling here is as difficult and frustrating as possible. I have had another trademark violation for using a current English adjective that is also the name of a company. This company (which I had never heard of) does sport equipment that has nothing to do with the product I sell. OK the AI might get it wrong, but Seller Support should understand, in reality they told me I have to remove the offending word as it's trademarked. It's a common English word and I cannot remove it anyway as I am not the brand owner.
Last year I had to stop selling apple and cinnamon incense as the word apple is trademarked, again someone at Seller Support told me I can't use the word apple as it's trademarked. Who trains this people? How can I sell apple and cinnamon incense without using the word apple? I had to stop selling a product as the description, not done by me, had the word lush in it. And apparently in the US, 81% of common English words are trademarked. END OF RANT
Another stupid trademark violation
RANT WARNING
No matter how much I try, Amazon does everything to ensure selling here is as difficult and frustrating as possible. I have had another trademark violation for using a current English adjective that is also the name of a company. This company (which I had never heard of) does sport equipment that has nothing to do with the product I sell. OK the AI might get it wrong, but Seller Support should understand, in reality they told me I have to remove the offending word as it's trademarked. It's a common English word and I cannot remove it anyway as I am not the brand owner.
Last year I had to stop selling apple and cinnamon incense as the word apple is trademarked, again someone at Seller Support told me I can't use the word apple as it's trademarked. Who trains this people? How can I sell apple and cinnamon incense without using the word apple? I had to stop selling a product as the description, not done by me, had the word lush in it. And apparently in the US, 81% of common English words are trademarked. END OF RANT
9 replies
Seller_Fg2fqaWOnEtha
I got this from Seller Support.
"Thank you for reaching out regarding your concern related to the status of your listing with ASIN - B0BM53HW9L. From your correspondence we understand that this listing has been restricted due to Suspected Intellectual Property Violation and you are appealing for the review and reinstatement. Upon further investigation, we found that you still have to remove infringing brand name molten from [title]. Please allow up to 24 hours for the updated ASIN to become ACTIVE."
a) It's not a brand in this context. It's an English word found in the dictionary.
molten
/ˈməʊlt(ə)n/
adjective
adjective: molten
1.
(especially of materials with a high melting point, such as metal and glass) liquefied by heat.
b) I didn't create that listing and as I have already explained, I can't make any changes. And then why should I? it's not a trademark violation, it's an English word used to describe a product.
c) I have had enough, Amazon doesn't want me to sell here. I had 30 new products to sell, I spent many hours but I have only managed to list 3. Then I get existing listings deactivated for stupid reasons.
@Julia_Amazon@Roberto_Amazon
Seller_d8YGbIjNqwFxn
These are normally appealable if you state the word is used as it is intended in the English language. It appears that seller support are not aware of this. Have you tried quoting to them the exact policy that enforces this
https://sellercentral.amazon.co.uk/help/hub/reference/G201361070
This states
As a seller, when can I use someone else’s trademark?
Typically, a seller can use someone else’s trademark in the following circumstances:
When selling authentic goods, a seller may use a trademarked name to list those authentic goods. For example, a seller who lists an authentic “Pinzon” product is not necessarily infringing on the owner of the Pinzon trademark because the seller is using the trademark to identify an authentic product.
When using a trademarked word in its ordinary dictionary, descriptive meaning
I find if you quote policy at them they with a link to it they sometimes understand what you are asking.
It maybe confusing for them as the word Molten is as the start of the title just like a brand name would be.
You could also provide a screenshot from the oxford dictionary online showing the meaning of the world molten and that it can relate to glass liquified by heat.
It maybe one to escalate to the MD email or ask a Mod to step in to review.
Julia_Amzn
Hello @Seller_Fg2fqaWOnEtha, thank you for addressing this issue, which we've previously discussed in our Forums. I hope you're feeling better and the flu is gone! Did you decide to submit an appeal?
