Amazon IP Accelerator in Australia: Vetted Law Firms, Costs and Whether You Need It

Amazon IP Accelerator is a free matching service inside Seller Central that connects you with a network of vetted legal service providers who can file a trade mark for you, and Australia is on its list of supported countries. Amazon does not charge a fee to connect you with a provider, and you pay the provider directly. Once your trade mark application is pending, you can enrol in Brand Registry without waiting for registration. This is general information, not legal advice.

What does IP Accelerator actually do?

IP Accelerator is a directory and introduction, not a law firm and not a guarantee. Amazon describes it as a programme that connects you with vetted legal service providers for trade mark support and other IP services. The programme supports filings across 22 trade mark offices worldwide, and provider language support varies.

What it adds over going direct:

• A shortlist of firms that Amazon has vetted, so you are not searching blind.
• Pre-negotiated rates for a single brand in a single class of goods or services.
• A route to Brand Registry once the application is pending, because the provider tells you when you can enrol.

What it does not do: Amazon does not endorse any provider, and searching for multiple brands or filing other IP types incurs additional fees. Your contract is with the provider, not with Amazon.

Who can use it?

Amazon says brands worldwide can use IP Accelerator, but only through Seller Central, where you can create a seller account if you do not have one. Amazon recommends a Professional selling account, which costs A$49.95 a month excluding GST.

If you only want Brand Registry and have no trade mark yet, an account is the only requirement to start looking. You still need to own the brand and be the applicant for the trade mark.

How do you use IP Accelerator, step by step?

Amazon's steps:

1. Log in to Seller Central, or sign up for a selling account.
2. Go to Apps and Services, then Explore Services, select IP Accelerator and search for providers.
3. Choose a provider, click Contact Provider and submit your request. Providers aim to respond within two business days. If you already have a Brand Registry account, use the same email address.
4. The provider guides you through trade mark registration and notifies you when you can enrol in Brand Registry.
5. Create your Brand Registry account with your Seller Central credentials and submit the application.

Ask each provider for a written quote that lists the classes, the government fee and the professional fee separately, and what happens if the examiner raises an objection.

How much does it cost?

Amazon publishes no provider prices on its programme page. It states there is no connection fee and that pre-negotiated rates exist for one brand in one class. Anything else is a quote from the provider.

Use IP Australia's published fees as the floor for the government portion: A$250 per class for a standard application with the picklist, or A$400 without it, and a minimum of A$330 for TM Headstart. A provider's fee comes on top. For illustration only, if a firm quoted A$600 for professional work on one class, your total with the picklist fee would be A$850. That A$600 is an invented example, not an Amazon or market figure.

Is IP Accelerator better than filing with IP Australia yourself?

It depends on your mark and your risk.

IP Australia says a standard application takes at least 7 months to register. IP Accelerator does not change the examiner's timetable. What it can change is how quickly a competent filing gets in. The full IP Australia process is in our trade mark guide for Amazon.

How do you choose between providers?

Amazon shows providers inside Seller Central and says it does not endorse them, so the comparison is yours to make. Questions worth putting to each one:

• Are you a registered trade mark attorney, and will the person who files my application also handle any examiner objection?
• What is the all-in price for one brand in one class, split into the government fee and your professional fee?
• What does it cost if the examiner raises an objection, or if someone opposes the mark?
• Will you run a clearance search before filing, and will you tell me if the search finds a close match?
• Will the application be filed in the name of my company, with my details as the owner contact?
• Do you file in the other countries I plan to sell in?

Providers aim to reply within two business days, so contacting two or three at once costs you little. Keep the quotes in writing.

What mistakes cost brands the most?

• Filing in the wrong name. Brand Registry needs the applicant to be the trade mark owner. If the application names a director or a supplier, fix it before you apply to Amazon.
• Skipping the search. An attorney or IP Australia's examiner cannot undo a clash with an existing brand that you discover after printing packaging. IP Australia's own TM Headstart examiner explicitly cannot check for infringement of existing registrations.
• Letting a deadline lapse. If you use TM Headstart, missing a deadline lapses the application.
• Treating the provider as a Brand Registry agent. The provider guides the trade mark and tells you when you can enrol, but the Brand Registry application is yours. Keep your Seller Central and Brand Registry logins in your own business name.

What happens after your application is filed?

You hold an application number, which is what Brand Registry asks for. Then:

1. Apply to Amazon Brand Registry in Australia.
2. Make sure the brand is permanently on the product or packaging.
3. Once enrolled, set up A+ Content, a Brand Store and Report a Violation.

Amazon says each benefit has its own access requirements, so a pending mark may not open every tool on day one.

FAQ

Is Amazon IP Accelerator available in Australia? Yes for Australian trade marks. Amazon lists Australia among the supported countries, and providers can help with registration there. Availability of individual providers and their rates is shown inside Seller Central.

Does IP Accelerator cost anything? Amazon does not charge a fee to connect you with a provider. You pay the provider directly, plus the government fee. Amazon says it has pre-negotiated rates for one brand in one class, without stating amounts.

Do I get Brand Registry faster through IP Accelerator? The programme lets participants reach brand protection benefits sooner, because a pending application allows enrolment. The examiner's timetable at IP Australia is unchanged, and Brand Registry still reviews your application.

Can I use my own lawyer instead? Yes. Brand Registry asks for the application or registration number from the government office, not for a particular provider. Any registered trade mark attorney can file for you.

Does Amazon recommend a particular provider? No. Amazon states that it does not endorse any provider. Compare at least two quotes and check that your attorney is registered.

Do I need IP Accelerator if I already have a trade mark? No. If your mark is pending or registered in your name, you can apply to Brand Registry directly.

Next step

Get the trade mark filed first, through IP Accelerator or direct. Blooprint does not file trade marks or give legal advice, but our Amazon Brand Registry services for Australia pick up from the application number. The Australian seller hub lists the other brand guides.