Walmart Brand Registry is Walmart’s program for brand owners, officially called Walmart Brand Portal. It lets you register your brand, report intellectual property infringement, manage your brand’s content, and decide which Marketplace sellers can act for your brand. The key requirement is stricter than Amazon’s: you need an active trademark registration with the USPTO. A pending application isn’t eligible. You apply with your Walmart Seller Center login, and the only document Walmart’s guide asks for is the trademark registration number.
Below I cover who qualifies, the application steps, what the portal gives you, how sellers get brand rights, and how it compares with Amazon Brand Registry.
Who qualifies for Walmart Brand Registry
Per Walmart’s Brand Portal guide:
| Requirement | Walmart’s rule |
|---|---|
| Who can apply | The brand owner. Third-party sellers and brand protection agencies can’t apply |
| Trademark office | Registered with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) |
| Trademark status | Active registration with a seven-digit registration number |
| Pending marks | Not eligible (an eight-digit serial number means the mark is still pending) |
| Where you’re based | US, UK, Canada, China, Hong Kong, India, South Korea or Vietnam |
| Number of brands | As many as you like, each with its own active USPTO registration |
Honestly, the serial-versus-registration-number rule is the one that catches people out. If your USPTO record still shows only an eight-digit serial number, you have an application, not a registration. Walmart will turn you away until the mark registers.
Walmart’s pages don’t spell out whether design marks qualify the same way as word marks. If your registration is a logo-only mark, I’d confirm with Walmart support before relying on it.
How to apply: step by step
Walmart’s registration guide lists four steps:
- Sign in to Brand Portal with your Seller Center credentials.
- Enter your trademark registration number and brand name.
- Agree to the Terms of Use.
- Submit.
The details must be consistent with your trademark registration. Walmart doesn’t publish a review time, so plan your launch with some slack.
Because sign-up runs through a Seller Center account, sort out your Seller Center access first. If your Marketplace application hasn’t been approved yet, our guide to a denied Walmart seller application covers the common reasons.
What Walmart Brand Portal gives a brand owner
From Walmart’s Brand Portal page and guide:
- IP claims. Submit intellectual property claims through a simple form and track their progress. The covered claim types are copyright, trademark, patent and counterfeit.
- Brand Portfolio. Keep your brand’s content consistent, accurate and up to date.
- Authorized users. Invite team members to work in the portal.
- Seller permissions. Assign rights to an acting brand owner and to authorized resellers.
- Multiple brands. Register as many as you own, each with its own active registration.
Walmart’s guide says sellers typically receive brand portfolio privileges about 24 hours after the owner assigns them.
Brand Manager: how sellers get rights to a brand
Brand Portal is for owners. Sellers use Brand Manager, found in Seller Center under Growth > Brand Manager. There, a seller can request one of two roles from a registered brand:
| Role | What Walmart says it unlocks |
|---|---|
| Acting brand owner | Sponsored Brands ads, Sponsored Videos, Display and Brand Shop |
| Authorized reseller | Potentially higher content ranking |
To request a role, the item must already be in the seller’s catalog and the brand must be registered in Brand Portal. The seller uploads a letter of authorization or other evidence. The brand owner decides. Walmart says it does not mediate or enforce agreements between brands and sellers.
In practice, this matters most for brands that sell through distributors. Rather than granting every reseller the same access, you can make one partner the acting brand owner and keep the rest as authorized resellers.
How IP enforcement works on Walmart
Claims go through Brand Portal or Walmart’s IP Claim Form. Walmart’s IP policy says it reserves the right to remove any item it believes is counterfeit, and that penalties for sellers can include termination of the account.
Honestly, the claim form is only as strong as your paperwork. Keep your registration certificate, product photos and test buys organized before you file. A vague claim slows everything down.
Walmart Brand Registry vs Amazon Brand Registry
| Walmart Brand Portal | Amazon Brand Registry | |
|---|---|---|
| Trademark status | Active registration only | Registered mark or pending application |
| Trademark offices | USPTO | Government offices in countries with an Amazon store |
| Mark types | Not specified on Walmart’s pages | Word marks and design marks containing words, letters or numbers |
| Cost | No fee mentioned in Walmart’s guide | Free |
| Must you sell there? | Sign-up uses Seller Center credentials | No |
| Main tools | IP claims, Brand Portfolio, seller roles | Report a Violation, Project Zero, Transparency, IP Accelerator, A+ Content, Brand Analytics |
Two differences shape your plan. First, Amazon accepts pending marks, and its IP Accelerator can help you get into Brand Registry before the mark registers. Walmart doesn’t take pending marks. Second, Amazon accepts many countries’ trademark offices, while Walmart’s guide names the USPTO.
So if you sell on both, I’d file with the USPTO early. A US registration covers Walmart and works for Amazon’s US store too. If you’re still waiting on your mark, our guide to selling on Amazon without Brand Registry explains what you can do in the meantime.
What to do while your trademark is pending
Waiting for a registration can take a long time, and Walmart won’t register a pending mark. You can still sell:
- List under your brand name. You don’t need Brand Portal to sell your own products on Walmart Marketplace.
- Use a GTIN exemption if your products have no barcodes. The brand name on the exemption must exactly match the name you use in item setup. Our Walmart UPC code lookup guide covers the exemption steps.
- Keep evidence. Save listing screenshots, invoices and dates. If a copycat appears before you register, you’ll want that record.
- Watch your listings. Check your item pages regularly for content changes or new sellers.
The day the mark registers, apply to Brand Portal. Don’t wait for a problem first.
Common reasons a Brand Portal application stalls
- Using the serial number. An eight-digit serial number signals a pending mark. Walmart needs the seven-digit registration number.
- A brand name mismatch. The name you enter should match the registration exactly, spacing and spelling included.
- A non-US registration. Walmart’s guide names the USPTO. A registration from another office alone doesn’t meet the rule.
- Applying as an agency. Brand protection agencies can’t apply on the owner’s behalf.
- A location outside the listed countries. Check that your business is based in one of the eight Walmart names.
My take: most stalls are paperwork, not policy. Check your USPTO record line by line before you submit.
A realistic timeline for a new Walmart brand
Here’s how I’d sequence a launch when the trademark is already registered. The timings are Walmart’s own, where it publishes them.
| Step | Walmart’s timing | What I’d do meanwhile |
|---|---|---|
| Seller Center approved | Not published | Prepare product data and images |
| Brand Portal application | No review time published | Check the USPTO record matches your entries exactly |
| GTIN exemption (if no barcodes) | Up to 3 business days, then wait 4 hours before item setup | Draft titles and key features |
| “Needs Info” on an exemption | Reply within 5 days or it closes | Keep supporting URLs ready (up to 3) |
| Seller role assigned in Brand Manager | Privileges typically arrive within about 24 hours | Brief the partner on content rules |
A single exemption request can cover up to 10 categories and 100 product types. When you have a wide catalog, group products sensibly so one request does most of the work.
When you plan it this way, the brand side is rarely what delays a launch. Product data is. In my view, writing listings while the paperwork is under review is the easiest time you’ll ever save.
Questions brand owners ask me about Brand Portal
“Do I have to sell on Walmart myself?” Walmart’s pages route sign-up through Seller Center credentials, so you’ll need that access. Whether you then sell directly or through partners is up to you.
“Can my agency apply for me?” Not as the applicant. Walmart says brand protection agencies can’t apply. You can invite authorized users once your brand is registered, though, which is how most agencies end up helping.
“Will Brand Portal stop all copycats?” No program does that on its own. It gives you a faster, documented way to file claims and control who represents the brand. You still have to monitor listings and act.
“What if a reseller already has my products listed?” That’s normal on a marketplace. With Brand Portal, you decide whether to give that seller authorized reseller status or not. I’d only grant roles to partners with a signed agreement.
Keeping Brand Portal useful after you register
Registration is a starting line. A few habits keep it worth having.
Review your authorized users every quarter. People leave teams, and agencies change. Remove anyone who no longer needs access.
Audit seller roles too. A distributor you trusted two years ago may have stopped buying from you. If so, their authorized reseller status should go.
Check your item pages after big catalog changes. Walmart’s Brand Portfolio exists so your content stays consistent, accurate and current, but someone still has to look.
Finally, file claims promptly and keep copies, including the listing URL, the date you spotted the problem, screenshots of the page, and whatever test-buy evidence you gathered along the way. A clean record makes the next claim easier to prove.
Should you register?
If you own a registered US trademark and sell on Walmart, yes. Brand Portal costs nothing extra in Walmart’s guide, and it’s the only way to control who acts for your brand there. It also unlocks ad formats such as Sponsored Brands for whoever holds the acting brand owner role.
If you don’t have a trademark yet, start there. Our trademark registration service handles the filing, and our Brand Registry service handles enrollment once the mark is ready. For day-to-day Walmart selling, see our Walmart account management.
FAQ
What is Walmart Brand Registry called?
Walmart’s program is called Walmart Brand Portal. It lets brand owners register brands, report IP infringement, manage content and assign brand rights to sellers.
Can I join Walmart Brand Portal with a pending trademark?
No. Walmart’s guide requires an active USPTO registration with a seven-digit registration number. An eight-digit serial number means the mark is pending and isn’t eligible.
Does Walmart Brand Portal accept non-US trademarks?
Walmart’s guide requires registration with the USPTO. Applicants can be based in the US, UK, Canada, China, Hong Kong, India, South Korea or Vietnam.
How do I apply for Walmart Brand Portal?
Sign in with your Seller Center credentials, enter your trademark registration number and brand name, agree to the Terms of Use, and submit.
How do sellers get brand rights on Walmart?
Through Brand Manager in Seller Center (Growth > Brand Manager). A seller requests the acting brand owner or authorized reseller role and uploads a letter of authorization. The brand owner decides.
What’s the difference between Walmart and Amazon Brand Registry?
Amazon accepts pending trademark applications from offices in countries with an Amazon store. Walmart requires an active USPTO registration.
Last updated: October 8, 2026. Sources: Walmart Marketplace, Brand Portal; Walmart Marketplace, Brand Portal overview; Walmart Marketplace, register your brand; Walmart Marketplace, Brand Manager; Walmart Marketplace, October 2025 seller update; Walmart Marketplace, IP policy; Walmart Marketplace, GTIN exemption; Amazon, Brand Registry; Amazon, Brand Registry requirements.
