Frequently Asked Questions

  • ThornCrest is a managed brand protection and channel control partner.

    We help omnichannel brands eliminate unauthorized sellers, enforce MAP/MSRP, stop diversion, remove counterfeits, protect intellectual property, and stabilize pricing across marketplaces, retail websites, and social commerce platforms.

    Amazon is one piece. We protect brands everywhere they sell.

    We may also collect limited non-personal information automatically, such as your IP address, browser type, and pages visited, for basic website analytics and performance monitoring.

  • We are not a traditional law firm but legal authority is built into our model.

    Every brand is assigned dedicated legal counsel. Cease and desist letters are issued on legal letterhead, and enforcement strategies are structured with legal oversight from day one.

    We combine legal weight with experience-led execution so action happens quickly and consistently.

  • Not necessarily — but having registered intellectual property significantly strengthens your brand protection efforts.

    You can take certain steps to protect your brand without a registered trademark or copyright, particularly if you have established common law rights through use in commerce. However, most online marketplaces (such as Amazon, Walmart, eBay, and others) give substantially greater weight to registered intellectual property when reviewing infringement complaints.

    If You Don’t Have Registered IP

    You may still have options, including:

    • Enforcing against counterfeit goods using unfair competition principles

    • Platform policy violations (misuse of brand name, deceptive listings, etc.)

    • Contract-based enforcement (distributor agreements, MAP policies)

    That said, a formal IP registration strategy is often one of the most cost-effective investments you can make in long-term brand protection. ThornCrest Law regularly assists ThornCrest’s clients register intellectual property at discounted rates for Brand Protection clients.

  • Software flags problems.
    We solve them.

    ThornCrest combines industry’s leading software partners with a fully managed enforcement team. We execute removals, enforce policies, draft and send MAP alerts, edit and draft authorized reseller agreements and distribution contracts, coordinate & audit sell–thru distribution sell-thru reports, file complaints and escalations, remove Ip infringements using both image recognition software and manual scraping for advanced logic, and drive measurable outcomes.

  • No.

    We operate across major marketplaces, global platforms, social commerce channels, and thousands of first-party retail sites in 24 countries.

    Our clients are omnichannel brands whose online presence directly impacts retail placement and long-term growth.

  • We address:

    • Unauthorized sellers

    • MAP/MSRP violations, Notifications/alerts

    • Diversion and grey-market leakage

    • Counterfeits and knockoffs

    • Duplicate listings

    • Multi-brand bundling violations

    • Material difference enforcement

    • Buy Box suppression

    • Trademark, copyright, and trade dress enforcement

    Our focus is long-term channel stability not temporary takedowns

  • Monitoring begins immediately after onboarding.
    Most brands begin seeing measurable impact within the first 30–60 days.

    We see a stronger healthier and cleaner brand presence within 6 months and move to proactive enforcement after that period vs. playing whack a mole or chasing non-compliance.

  • Brand protection isn’t one-size-fits-all.

    If you want to understand how ThornCrest would approach your specific channel challenges, schedule a discovery call and we’ll walk you through it.