Brand Registry is one of the few Amazon programs that pays for itself before you have sold a single unit, yet a surprising number of sellers still treat it as an afterthought to handle once the business is already established. Doing it before launch, rather than after, avoids a real cost in lost sales and lost content options.
To qualify, you need an active trademark, either registered or pending in the relevant jurisdiction, along with a brand name that matches your trademark text exactly. The application itself is straightforward once the trademark is in hand; the trademark process is the part that takes time, often eight to twelve months depending on the country and whether the mark is contested.
The payoff is significant. Brand Registry unlocks A+ Content and Brand Story, both of which measurably lift conversion rate on top of whatever your base listing achieves. It also unlocks Sponsored Brands and Sponsored Display campaign types, both of which are unavailable to unregistered sellers. Perhaps most importantly, it gives you real enforcement tools against counterfeiters and hijackers, who target unprotected listings disproportionately.
If you are still pre-launch, start the trademark application in parallel with product development rather than after your first shipment lands. The lead time is the only part of this you cannot compress later.