The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is a specialized agency that operates globally.
WIPO is responsible for enforcing intellectual property rights on an international scale.
WIPO is based out of Geneva, Switzerland and governs under multiple international treaties. The purpose of the treaties is to facilitate cooperation amongst the participating governments. The World Intellectual Property Organization serves an important role in the life of an Amazon seller, especially those who source products overseas.
Understanding the Purpose of the WIPO
The World Intellectual Property Organization currently consists of 183 member states and is open to any country that is a member of the United Nations.
The organization’s objective is to take aim at the improvement of business practices surrounding the global market. Essentially, WIPO’s goal is to promote the protection of intellectual property around the world.
For Amazon sellers with their own intellectual property to protect, this is an important consideration. Amazon sellers who register their intellectual property rights with WIPO are entitled to register their protections in any participating country. This means, if someone infringes your trademark and they are located outside the United States, an Amazon seller can take the fight to the infringer’s country if the infringer refuses to come to court in the U.S.
WIPO for Amazon Sellers
With WIPO, Amazon sellers have a cost-reductive, efficient and global resource that is readily waiting at their disposal. By registering intellectual property abroad, an Amazon seller can protect their commercial products and differentiate their exclusivity from their competitors, not only in the U.S., but all around the world.
Further, registering an Amazon seller’s intellectual property rights with WIPO has become streamlined with modern technology, making the application process more efficient than ever before. When registering a trademark, WIPO allows rights owners and their attorneys to file one application for protection in multiple countries. The interface is also able to search for and apply application data from a domestic application to a WIPO international application as well.
For patent registration, a Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) application can sometimes be useful to Amazon sellers because it covers all necessary bases, both domestically and internationally. PCT applications provide a uniform procedure for filing patent applications which will ultimately allow applicants to seek protection for an invention in multiple countries.
How the WIPO can Benefit Amazon Sellers
The truth of the matter is simple: Amazon sellers need their intellectual property protected.
It does not matter where your manufacturer is because infringers are everywhere. Vietnam, Thailand, China or India – location does not change the importance of IP protection. If your products or brand are being infringed upon, it is important to have the ability to bring the legal battle to wherever the infringers may be located.
The team at Rosenbaum Famularo, PC can help Amazon sellers & other online merchants file for copyright or trademark protection in their home country as well as in any of the 189 WIPO member states.
Cross-Border IP Protection for Sellers
Our mission is to double-down and ensure that each of our clients’ intellectual property is both compliant with the law and secure against infringers. WIPO allows clients to be protected by one body of law which is capable of protecting Amazon sellers overseas and at home.
