E-commerce giant Amazon on Sunday, July 4 launched the Intellectual Property (IP) Accelerator programme in India, offering sellers, who are also brand owners, easy access to services from trusted intellectual property experts and law firms.
Businesses may choose to engage with these IP law firms to help secure trademarks, protect their brands and tackle infringement, on Amazon.in and Amazon websites globally.
Mary Beth Westmoreland, vice-president, technology, brand protection at Amazon, said “we are excited to offer the advantages of this programme to our Indian businesses. Our Intellectual Property Accelerator Program enables businesses to protect their intellectual property, which in turn helps to ensure an authentic shopping experience for everyone.”
Westmoreland also added that the IP Accelerator programme is already available in the US, Europe and Canada. IP Accelerator was launched in the US in 2019, and has since then expanded to Europe, Japan, Canada, Mexico, and now India.
The process of obtaining a trademark registration with the Intellectual Property India, Trademarks Registry (IN TMR) can run up to as long as 18-24 months.
The IP Accelerator programme will help brand owners and seller navigate this process by connecting businesses with trusted IP law firms that are subject matter experts in this field with experience in drafting trademark and other IP registration applications. However, they may find it time-consuming and complex to go through the process on their own.
To date, six IP law firms Hasan and Singh, Lexorbis, Sujata Chaudhri IP Attorneys, Amitabha Sen & co, Remfry & Sagar, and H K Acharya & Company have signed up to be service providers as part of the IP Accelerator programme to support sellers on Amazon.in.
Businesses can engage with these firms to overcome common hurdles that could otherwise further delay the issuance of a registration.
The programme can be accessed by sellers on Amazon.in Service Provider Network (SPN), offering the benefit of availing the service at a single place.
Sellers do not incur any additional cost in accessing IP Accelerator firm listings on SPN and they can choose to engage with the law firms directly and independently for services of their choice at mutually agreed terms.