Marketplace Search Specifications are the blueprint for the entire search and enforcement process. They define which marketplaces are monitored, what search terms are used, and how results are filtered, analyzed, and enforced.
This article explains the key components of a Search Specification and how each contributes to effective brand protection.
Marketplaces
Description:
This component specifies the online marketplaces that will be monitored for potential infringements. Depending on your needs, you can choose from various eCommerce platforms such as Amazon, eBay, Alibaba, and others. These marketplaces each carry one or more languages to help use the correct search terms.
Why It’s Important:
Targeting the right marketplaces ensures that your search is focused on the platforms most relevant to your brand.
Search Terms
Description:
Search terms include keywords, brand names, product names, and other criteria used to identify potential infringements. These terms are the foundation of the search, helping to make sure we use the appropriate language(s) used on each marketplace.
Exclusive Keywords are used to filter out findings with certain words!
Why It’s Important:
Using precise search terms allows the search to capture the most relevant listings, reducing the chances of false positives.
🔗Authentic URLs
Description:
Authentic URLs are the legitimate web addresses for your products. These URLs serve as a reference to ensure that genuine listings can be presented if needed for enforcement actions.
Why It’s Important:
Including authentic URLs help reviewers assess complaints faster and increases likelihood of accepted infringement claims.
Linked IP Records
Description:
Linked IP Records refer to intellectual property (IP) assets, such as trademarks, patents, designs, or copyrights, that are associated with your search specification. These records are used to generate complaints automatically if an infringement is detected.
Why It’s Important:
Associating your IP assets with the search specification ensures that any potential infringement claims is directly linked to the relevant IP, streamlining the enforcement process. By the way, we have a separate article on Linked IP Records.
Images
Description:
You can include your brand’s visual assets in the search, enabling reverse image searches and image recognition to filter out irrelevant results.
Why It’s Important:
Including images allows the system to detect unauthorized use of your product images or logos, broadening the search scope and improving accuracy.
Image Evaluation Threshold
Description:
The Image Evaluation Threshold is a parameter that sets the level of similarity required between the images found in the search and the reference images provided. This threshold helps determine whether an image is close enough to your original to warrant upload to the platform.
Why It’s Important:
Adjusting the threshold allows you to fine-tune the search results, ensuring that only images that meet a certain level of similarity are flagged for review. Read more here: Image Evaluation Thresholds
Other Metrics in a Search Specification
In addition to the core components, these metrics add context and improves both search accuracy and enforcement efficacy:
- Status: Indicates whether the search specification is active, inactive, or paused.
- Legal Owner: The entity or individual holding the intellectual property rights, referenced in complaints.
- Estimated Finding Value: The potential financial impact of each finding, based on the manufacturer's suggested retail price.
- Country of Creation: The country where the asset was created, useful for proving origin.
- Creator: The person or team responsible for creating the asset, providing origin details.
- Year of Creation: The year the asset was created, offering further proof of origin.
- Manufacturers: Identifies the product’s manufacturing country, helping to detect illegitimate supply chains or counterfeit producers.
Conclusion
Search Specifications are the backbone of Marketplace Search. By configuring these specifications carefully, you can ensure that your brand is protected across online marketplaces, that your search captures the most relevant results, and that enforcement actions are streamlined. Whether it's choosing the right search terms, linking your intellectual property, or setting image thresholds, the details of your search specification will play a crucial role in how effectively your brand is protected.
For more information on how to work with the findings from the searches, please refer to our guide on Reviewing Findings.