At SnapDragon our cutting-edge software Swoop monitors online marketplaces across the globe. Over the years we’ve successfully removed hundreds of thousands of suspicious listings from sale from the likes of Alibaba and DH Gate to eBay and Amazon, plus too many others to mention. Our expertise has protected hundreds of companies from the threats of selling online and unscrupulous sellers trading off on the success of well-established brands – you can check out some of our successes in our recent case studies.
Every online selling platform should have a mechanism for reporting Intellectual Property infringements. Alibaba has an efficient portal that covers its sites such as AliExpress, Taobao and Lazada. eBay has a program called Verified Rights Owner Program (VERO) and Amazon has Brand Registry and other reporting systems in place. If you are a brand owner, it may be of interest to find out more about the US company Walmart and their relatively new reporting system and how to protect your brand on this North American retail giant.
Walmart sells a wide range of goods from groceries to big name electronics and sporting goods. Unfortunately, as with all the big marketplaces sometimes illicit goods can slip through the cracks and make their way to the shelves for sale. So, what can you do if you discover an intellectual property issue with your brand being sold at Walmart?
Walmart has recently launched a brand portal, in many ways like Amazon’s Brand Registry, which can be found here, it has been launched as a handy one-stop-shop for reporting intellectual property issues. It has a strong vetting process and hopefully offers brands scope to sell efficiently and stay in control of their reputation.
Intellectual property infringements you can report on Walmart
- Copyright
- Counterfeit
- Trademark
- Patent
A note on Unauthorised Sellers
It can be tricky to manage unauthorised sellers on many marketplaces, stock may have been purchased in bulk at low prices, using unprofessional images in listings, selling at below retail price and causing brand confusion. Added to this, there can be further complications with warranties and refunds.
Walmart’s Brand Portal will help your brand can keep better control of enforcements and respond quickly if you come across any intellectual property issues. By submitting proof of intellectual property ownership, professional copyrighted images and guidelines on customer support and authorised sellers you are staying one step ahead of dubious third-party sellers should they try to sell via Walmart. The Walmart portal will help SnapDragon as a Brand Protection service provider to streamline reporting should we need to report intellectual property issues on behalf of our clients; a win-win for all involved.
To report an Intellectual Property Infringement on Walmart you’ll need:
- Your company information
- Proof of your Intellectual Property (such as Trademark Number/Patent etc.)
- A valid email address
Authorised third-party brand protection agencies and legal representatives are also able to use the portal by providing proof of authorisation. According to the Walmart portal they only accept United States Patent and Trademark (USPTO) registered intellectual property. It’s crucial to note they do not accept World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) or European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) registrations. More details can be found on their website. For those who don’t have a Walmart Brand Portal account there is also a publicly available option to make an Intellectual Property report.
Once you’ve passed the vetting process your brand will be ready to report infringing listings should you need to. The benefits of having a streamlined reporting system means that as a brand you have all your submissions in a clear dashboard which outlines the status.
Of course, this may all seem overwhelming and just another task to add to your day as a busy business or brand owner. SnapDragon can help take this off your ‘to do list’ so you can concentrate on your business. Get in touch with our friendly team to discuss how we can help you monitor your brand – contact us at the.lair@snapdragon-ip.com.
