Overview

Error 5561 is a listing error that Amazon triggers when it detects unauthorized trademark terms in your product listing. This error prevents sellers from publishing or updating listings that contain brand names or registered trademarks they are not authorized to use. Understanding how to identify and resolve this error is essential for keeping your catalog active and avoiding potential account health issues.

Key Points / What Sellers Need to Know

• Trademark detection is automated — Amazon's systems scan your listing fields including titles, bullet points, descriptions, and backend search terms for trademarked words or phrases that you may not be authorized to use.
• Multiple fields are affected — The error can be triggered by trademark terms appearing in generic keywords, product descriptions, bullet points, or product titles, not just one specific section.
• Authorization matters — You are only permitted to include brand names and trademarks for brands you are explicitly authorized to sell. Simply describing compatibility with another brand's product does not grant permission to use that brand's name freely.
• Generic alternatives exist — Amazon expects sellers to use descriptive, non-branded language when referring to product functionality or compatibility rather than dropping in recognizable brand names.

Why This Error Occurs

Error 5561 is triggered when Amazon's listing validation system identifies trademarked terms in fields where you lack authorization to use them. The most common scenario involves sellers referencing well-known brand names in their search terms or bullet points to improve discoverability, even though they have no formal relationship with those brands. For instance, a seller might include a competitor's brand name in their backend keywords hoping to appear in related searches, or they might mention a popular brand in their product description to suggest compatibility. Amazon treats these references as potential trademark infringement and blocks the listing from going live until the violations are corrected.

How to Resolve Error 5561

Fixing this error requires a careful review of every text field in your listing. Start by reading through your product title, bullet points, product description, and backend generic keywords to identify any brand names or registered trademarks that you are not authorized to use. Replace branded terms with generic descriptive language that conveys the same meaning. For example, instead of writing "compatible with iPhone charger," you would rephrase it to "compatible with smartphones" or describe the technical specification such as the connector type. Once you have removed all unauthorized trademark references from every field, resubmit your listing for processing. Amazon provides detailed guidance on acceptable content in their product title requirements and bullet point requirements documentation.