Idea

I simply don't think it's possible. But, YOU could check those databases when you come up with your idea(s) and before you upload them here. Even if Amazon found a way to scan those databases for you, they could miss things since it wouldn't be human eyes looking at the information.

Actually, not only possible but I think the mechanism is already in place. I happen to own a registered trademark and recently tried to upload a design using my trademark in the keywords. The design was subsequently rejected in the review process. I responded via the seller service e-mail address and showed proof that I was the owner of the mark after which I received a nice e-mail asking me to resubmit the design. It was rejected again in review. This happened twice more before I was finally able to get the design uploaded. You can't tell me there isn't an automatic connection to the TESS database. The question I have is why does a service that was created to allow bands, game companies, etc to create their own branded merchandise (hence the name Merch) make it so difficult for trademark owners to actually create said merch?

would be far better for a service from Merch to warn us of impending infringements on designs already listed and a new trademark has been added, this to me is by far the hardest part of Merch and the most unfair how do they expect us to check for new TMs on 1000's of tees every week.

This makes complete sense, It is a fact that there is a system which checks for all the keywords in our listing when we submit the shirts. Why not return it back to us if the system detects something, so that we can double check and submit. Then it may follow the same process of sending it to a manual review after giving one chance. While as content creators we try our best to check for trademarks, copyrights and IP, it would be of great help to create a pre-detection system which makes it easy for both the content creators and the Merch Platform.

Absolutely agree, it's impossible to know every trademark or copyright in the world so anything like this would be not only great but a vital tool.

this will be a very good Feature , it will save time for both merch by amazon Team and for Sellers as well . I will really appreciate that merch by amazon Team will do that in the near future .

Great idea!! Teespring and Cafe Press both do this, so it is entirely possible.

This is totally doable but it will require substantial programming. Let’s continue to ask for this and better the platform. I submitted the below to Merch Support and they said the community of designers need to continue to ask for this! Excerpt of what I wrote to support a while back:

“...

How can we as your Merch sellers use the same software so we don’t have inadvertent violations? Please know that many of your Merch sellers have anxiety over rejections, and we do try our best with the tools available to us on the internet.

Please consider allowing us access to your better software for checking listings and avoid violations that put our account in bad standing. I appreciate the opportunity to be a Merch seller, and take each submission seriously.

Is there any way we can manually submit to your TM check software, have a result, make adjustments, and then submit designs for approval AFTER we have cleared it of any issues your software finds.

Imagine if we were able to check listings for ourselves, fix text ourselves without: 1) having to use your staff precious time for investigations like this one; and 2) not having violations that put our Merch accounts at risk of being closed; Imagine the increase in design submission that are clean; Imagine the increase in productivity and the decrease of rejections!

Thank you for considering a different way of handling our submissions to better the process, decrease anxiety, and have more designs submitted.

..”

Let share this thread and get people to vote!

This would be a great feature. Society6 do something similar too.

Just be original, have your registrations in place and publish even if you need to show ownership later on. Hard to prove ownership without a dated registration on copyright and or trademark. IP goes a long way when it's actually registered. Common law (or just saying you were the first) on designs doesn't really hold ground any more.