What is Amazon Project Zero? Amazon Project Zero Review, Features

Amazon Project Zero is a new program launched by Amazon on February 28, 2019, to eliminate counterfeit products from its website. Once approved, brands that join Project Zero will be able to directly flag and remove counterfeit listings of their products on the Amazon website themselves.

About Amazon Project Zero

Previously, companies that saw counterfeit products had to submit applications to Amazon, which would evaluate them and ultimately decide whether to remove them, a bit like YouTube's copyright protection program. Now, companies that join Project Zero will have the power to remove counterfeit products without Amazon's approval, marking a huge shift in the way Amazon manages this process. In a way, this means that Amazon has transferred some of its responsibility for fighting counterfeiters to brand owners, marking a major change in Amazon's model of fighting counterfeiters.

Cause

1. With the simplification of Amazon's processes, people only need to provide a company name, email address, phone number, credit card, ID card and bank account to register as an Amazon seller. This makes it very easy for counterfeit sellers to sell counterfeit hot-selling products on Amazon. Amazon hopes to take effective measures to solve this problem.

2. Amazon's current scale makes the problem of counterfeit products increasingly serious, because some sellers only use the platform for advertising and do all the sales and delivery themselves, but consumers often misunderstand Amazon and think that it must be responsible for all products sold.

use

Companies invited to participate in Project Zero can log in to a special portal provided by Amazon and search for keywords or images related to their products. Once brands find product listings that they believe are infringing, they can simply click and Amazon will automatically remove the products or sellers. To some extent, this also helps to "tame" Amazon's automatic protection system, which can continuously scan the Amazon website and automatically block and delete problematic listings.

benefit

1. After approval, brands that join Project Zero will be able to directly mark and remove counterfeit listings of their products on the Amazon website. According to Amazon, the project will give brand owners the right to directly remove counterfeit listings of their products on the Amazon platform to better protect their brands.

2. Enhanced automatic protection system. Companies can provide Amazon with their logos, trademarks and other information about their brands. Amazon directly uses machine learning technology, supplemented by intellectual property information and related tools, to automatically scan and identify suspicious products and remove counterfeit products.

3. Optional product serialization service. Amazon provides brands participating in Project Zero with a tool that generates unique codes for each product. Brands can print these codes on existing product packaging or use stickers to stick them on products. When products enter Amazon warehouses, Amazon will ensure the authenticity of the products by scanning the codes. According to Amazon, project engineers are also working hard to optimize project-related algorithms to make various tasks, such as automatic code scanning, product shielding, and suspicious listing removal, more efficient.

join in

Project Zero is currently an invitation-only program, so only brands selected by Amazon can join and remove counterfeit products on their own. But Amazon said: "We are adding brands as quickly as possible while ensuring a high-quality experience. Brands that have not yet signed up should join the waiting list and we will notify you as soon as they are added."

Seller response

Some sellers may feel that this plan is not safe because Amazon specifies that authorized brands can remove counterfeit goods sold on the website at any time. As brands continue to gain such power, the chances of them abusing it will be greater. According to CNBC, sellers have encountered this risk before. Just before Amazon Prime Day in 2017, a store on Amazon Mall was suspended for violating intellectual property rights by a law firm. It was later confirmed that the law firm did not exist at all.

But Amazon said it gave brands this power because it believes "the combined strengths of Amazon and brands can reduce counterfeits to zero." But the company also pointed out that "brands must maintain a high accuracy rate to maintain the privileges given to them by Project Zero." The company will also require Project Zero users to receive necessary training and said it will actively monitor them to prevent abuse.

FAQ

Q: What brands does Project Zero currently have?

A: Project Zero is currently an invite-only experience in the US. We are working to add brands as quickly as possible while ensuring a high-quality experience. Brands that have not yet signed up should join the waitlist and we will notify them as soon as we are ready to be added.

Q: What are the eligibility requirements for signing up for Project Zero?

A: Interested brands must have a government-registered trademark and have registered their brand with the Amazon Brand Registry. Brands that have not yet signed up for Brand Registry can get started by visiting brandservices.amazon.com.

Q: How does Amazon ensure brands make accurate decisions using self-service counterfeit removal tools?

A: We are offering brands unprecedented accountability, and we are willing to do so because we believe the combined strengths of Amazon and brands can drive counterfeits to zero. Brands must maintain a high level of accuracy to maintain their Project Zero privileges. We have many processes in place to improve accuracy, including required training as part of Project Zero enrollment and ongoing monitoring to prevent misuse of our tools.

Q: Do brands need to serialize their products to participate in Project Zero?

A: No, but brands that serialize their products are seeing the best results. Product serialization is a powerful tool to detect and stop counterfeits from reaching customers. Brands also have the choice to determine which products to serialize.

Q: Is joining Project Zero free?

A: Yes, it is free to sign up for Project Zero, access automated protections, and use self-service counterfeit removal tools. Brands who choose to use the product serialization service will pay between $0.01 and $0.05 per unit, based on volume.