Legal Services for Sellers

Hewitt Law PLLC assists e-commerce sellers with all aspects of their businesses: from negotiating contracts to developing compliance and intellectual property policies to resolving disputes with brand owners and distributors. We have conducted internal investigations for top e-commerce companies and represented sellers involved in some of the highest-profile and most complex cases of fraud on the Amazon platform.

A few of our core practice areas are:

Resolving Trademark and Copyright Complaints

Our firm has developed a proven process for resolving trademark and copyright issues between brands, sellers, and Amazon itself. We have negotiated favorable settlements for our clients with some of the largest brands and multinational companies in the world. Unlike many lawyers out there, we have worked on the corporate side and we know what works. We work with our clients to evaluate complaints and develop multi-step resolution plans when necessary. Our firm doesn't sell form letters: we work with you to resolve your issues and ensure they do not happen again.

HIJACKING

Has a malicious actor taken over your listings, using your intellectual property to sell their inferior products? We assist sellers with petitioning for catalog changes and reporting suspected abuse to marketplace authorities throughout the e-commerce space. We also assist sellers contemplating legal action against these malicious actors.

FUND FREEZES

Sellers can sometimes find their account balances or inventory held without notice by a marketplace. We assist sellers in petitioning for the release of funds and inventory, following up with legal action where necessary. We have handled cases related to accounts on Amazon, Walmart, PayPal, and Facebook. While marketplaces have a right to restrict who can enjoy the privilege of selling on their platforms, they cannot seize funds you lawfully earned.

aCCOUNT sUSPENSIONS

We work with the top Amazon suspension experts to help you investigate and resolve your legal issues and regain access to your Amazon account at the same time. We conduct internal investigations to get to the root cause of your problems, and help address any issues of employee misconduct, fraud, or mistakes that may be uncovered. You often have one shot to get your account back: you want a seasoned business lawyer with a decade of experience running high-profile corporate internal investigations on your side.

Contracts: Brand Authorization Agreements, Wholesaler/Distributor Agreements

We assist clients in drafting distribution agreements, authorized reseller agreements, employee contracts, and all other aspects of trade and contract negotiation.

Counterfeit Product Issues

Our team has resolved innumerable counterfeit complaints both against sellers and on behalf of brands. We screen potential counterfeit cases to ensure that we can verify the veracity of the claims being made. Counterfeiting is a crime and allegations of such should not be taken lightly. Trafficking in counterfeit goods can result in substantial financial penalties and years in prison. If your products are being counterfeited, the criminal violation of your rights should be reported not only to marketplace authorities but also to law enforcement.

sPOOFING, iMPERSONATION, AND pHISHING Issue rESOLUTION

We have handled high-profile issues related to fake complaints against Amazon sellers, impersonations to Amazon, unauthorized account access issues, and more. Ms. Hewitt spent years investigating market manipulation and securities fraud for her banking clients and has put that expertise to use in defending sellers facing complex allegations in the Amazon space.