Prove EAN Ownership: Stop Listing Hijacking and Win Disputes

You prove EAN ownership with documents that show who was given the number, by whom and when. For a GS1 code that means your GS1 licence and your entry in Verified by GS1. For a code bought from a reseller it means the reseller's register entry, certificate and invoice. None of these gives you exclusive rights to a product page. In most listing disputes your strongest tools are a registered trademark and well-kept evidence, not the barcode.

This guide is for sellers who have found another seller on "their" product page, hit an "EAN already in use" error, or want to be ready before that happens. It explains what an EAN does and does not protect, how hijacking and duplicate codes happen, how to check who a code is registered to, and how to put together evidence that a marketplace or a competitor's lawyer will take seriously.

It also explains plainly what the GTINcodes check page and registration certificate prove: who bought a number from GTINcodes.com and when. They do not prove a GS1 registration, they do not give you exclusivity, and they are not a trademark. Knowing the difference saves you from arguments you cannot win and helps you build the ones you can.

What does owning an EAN actually protect?

An EAN (European Article Number, now officially called GTIN-13) is a 13-digit identifier for one trade item. It tells a scanner, a warehouse or a marketplace catalogue which product this is. If you are new to the structure and the jargon, start with our complete guide to what an EAN code is. For this article, the key point is legal rather than technical: an EAN is a number, not a right.

An EAN is not a trademark and gives no exclusivity

There is no law that requires a product to carry an EAN, and GTINs are neither trademarks nor copyright. The requirements you meet in practice come from contracts and platform rules: GS1 licence terms, marketplace policies and retailer specifications (as barcode industry sources also point out). That has two consequences.

• You cannot stop someone selling the identical product on your EAN. On catalogue marketplaces the EAN identifies the product, not the seller. bol.com puts it bluntly: identical items may not be offered under different EANs, "not even from different seller accounts". The first seller creates the product page and other sellers may then sell the same item on it and compete for the buy box (koopblok).
• You can act when someone uses the code for a different product. A GTIN belongs to one specific trade item. If another seller attaches a different or counterfeit product to it, they break the marketplace rules, and that is where your evidence matters.

What Dutch courts have said about using "your" EAN

Dutch case law shows the limits clearly. In a case about a unicorn plush toy, the District Court of The Hague (ECLI:NL:RBDHA:2022:6493) rejected a trademark claim against a seller who used the same EAN. Part of the reasoning was that bol.com's terms require sellers of identical products to use the same EAN, and the trademark rights were exhausted for genuine goods already put on the market. The Arnhem-Leeuwarden Court of Appeal did find infringement in the Cool Cotton bedding case, but there the goods were counterfeit (Dirkzwager on EAN use and trademark infringement).

The lesson is that a court looks at the trademark and at whether the goods are genuine, not at who first used the barcode. The EAN is evidence in the story; it is not the claim itself.

How do listing hijacking and duplicate EANs happen?

"Hijacking" and "piggybacking" are loose terms for two very different situations. Telling them apart is the first step, because the fix is different for each.

Piggybacking: another seller joins your product page

On Amazon, bol.com and Kaufland, a product page is built around a product identifier. Kaufland builds one product page per EAN and attaches every seller's offer to it, and listing the same product under several EANs is forbidden. If a competitor sources the same goods (for example from the same wholesaler or factory) they may lawfully attach an offer. That is not a code problem, and no certificate will remove them. Trademark-based tools are the remedy if the goods are not genuine or not identical.

Code collisions: the same number used for two products

The real code problem is when the same number is attached to a different product. That happens in a few ways:

• The number was sold more than once. Sellers who bought EANs on eBay have reported hijacking because the same codes had been sold to other people too. This is the core risk of buying cheap codes from a source without a register.
• The number was recycled. Since January 2019 GS1 rules say a GTIN allocated to a trade item "shall not be reallocated to another trade item" (GS1 support). Before that, reuse was allowed after 48 months in grocery and 30 months in apparel. Marketplaces keep old number–product links for a long time, so a reused code can drop you onto someone else's old page.
• A variant shares a code by mistake. Cdiscount's error "Vous avez choisi un EAN déjà utilisé sur un produit d'une autre couleur" is the classic example: a colour variant was given the same EAN as another colour. Our guide on when variants, bundles and product changes need a new EAN covers how to avoid this.
• Someone simply typed or copied your number. A seller may lift an EAN from your listing or packaging to piggyback on your page, even though their product is different.

The errors you are likely to see

The Amazon errors 5461 and 5462 are not caused by another seller at all. They come from Amazon's check against GS1 data: Amazon compares the brand you enter with the company that licensed the number from GS1. That is a separate issue, covered in our article on EAN codes for Amazon, the GS1 check and the GTIN exemption.

Who is an EAN registered to? Verified by GS1 versus the GTINcodes register

Two different registers answer two different questions. Many disputes go wrong because one side quotes the wrong register.

Verified by GS1 (formerly GEPIR)

Verified by GS1 is GS1's global lookup; the old GEPIR address now redirects to it. You can search a GTIN, GLN or company. It shows the company that licensed the number from GS1, plus a few core product attributes (such as brand, target market and net content) if that company uploaded them. It tells you whether a number is well-formed, whether GS1 issued it, and whether the data matches what you expect.

For a number that came from a reseller, Verified by GS1 shows the original licence holder or nothing at all. It never shows the buyer. GS1 France says codes from other parties "may not be in the GS1 system, or may be transferred or resold GS1 codes that will show the original owner's data" (GS1 France). GS1 UK says reseller numbers "won't be correctly linked to your brand" (GS1 UK FAQ).

The GTINcodes register and check page

GTINcodes.com (operating since 2018 from the Netherlands) records every EAN-13 it issues against the buyer in its own register. Anyone can check a code on the public check page. Each number is a valid EAN-13 from GTINcodes' stock, issued once and registered to you in the GTINcodes register. With a protection plan, the check page also shows your company name, so a marketplace agent or competitor can see who the number was issued to without having to email you.

You can try it here with any code you have bought from us:

The two registers do not contradict each other; they record different events. Verified by GS1 records who holds a GS1 licence for a prefix. The GTINcodes register records who bought a specific number from GTINcodes and when. A dispute that depends on GS1 data (such as Amazon's brand check, or bol.com's rule for branded items) is decided by the first. A dispute about which of two sellers was given a number first, and for which product, is where the second helps.

What the GTINcodes check page and certificate prove, and what they don't

This is the section to read before you rely on GTINcodes protection in a dispute. We would rather you know the limits now than discover them in a support ticket.

What they prove

• Who bought the number from GTINcodes.com. The register links each number to the buying company. With protection, that company name is visible on the public check page.
• When it was issued. The registration certificate (a downloadable PDF) records that the codes were bought from and registered with GTINcodes.com, and the date. In a dispute about who used a number first, a dated third-party record is better than your own spreadsheet.
• That the number was issued once. GTINcodes never issues the same number twice. If another seller claims to have bought "your" number from us, the register will show that they did not.
• Which product the number is meant for (Premium and Business). Product name and brand per code appear on the check page, which helps show that a different item attached to your code is the wrong product.

What they don't prove

• No GS1 registration. The certificate is explicitly not a GS1 registration. The number does not appear in Verified by GS1 under your company. A marketplace that checks GS1 data will not accept the certificate as GS1 proof.
• No exclusivity. It does not stop anyone selling the identical genuine product on the same EAN. On bol.com that is explicitly allowed.
• No trademark. It gives you no rights in a brand name, logo or design. Only a trademark registration does that.
• No guaranteed acceptance. It does not make a code acceptable for branded products on Amazon or bol.com, for Zalando, or for retail chains.

What the protection plans add

Codes are a one-off purchase. Protection is an optional subscription on top. In short:

Yearly plans include free extra codes. For current details and prices see the protection plans and the prices in our shops. A monthly check report is a practical early warning: a sudden spike in lookups on one code can mean a competitor or marketplace agent is looking at it, and that is the moment to review the listing.

What evidence works in an EAN dispute?

Marketplace support teams handle huge numbers of cases. They decide quickly and on paper. The seller with a clear, dated, well-labelled evidence pack usually does better than the seller with the louder complaint. Here is what to collect, roughly in order of strength.

1. A registered trademark (the strongest tool)

A trademark is what lets you act against counterfeits and against sellers who attach a different product to your branded page. In the Netherlands, the law firm Dirkzwager recommends registering a trademark and putting it visibly on the product and packaging, so that a different, unbranded item sold on your page becomes easy to spot (Dirkzwager, three tips against competition on your EAN). On Amazon, a registered or pending trademark is also the entry ticket to Brand Registry.

2. Precise listing content

Make your title, description and images describe your product precisely: dimensions, materials, the brand mark on the item, the packaging. If the listing is vague, a different product can "match" it. If it is precise, a seller shipping a different item under it is misdescribing goods, which in the Netherlands can amount to an unfair commercial practice.

3. Proof of where the number came from

• For a GS1 code: your GS1 licence or membership confirmation and your Verified by GS1 record. Some GS1 offices sell a certificate; GS1 Germany offers an optional certificate subscription at €22–33 a year.
• For a GTINcodes code: the registration certificate, the check page showing your company name, and the invoice.
• For a code from another reseller: their certificate or ownership letter and the invoice. Check whether they run a register at all; a certificate that no one else can verify is weak.

4. Dated product evidence

• Dated photos of the product and packaging showing the barcode and your brand.
• The date your listing first went live (screenshot of the listing and of the creation date in your seller account).
• Supplier invoices and production records linking the product to the code.

5. Evidence of the other seller's product

Dirkzwager also recommends test purchases and an unboxing video. Buy the other seller's offer, film the unopened parcel, the opening and the product, and compare it with yours. Take dated screenshots of their offer on your page. This turns "they are selling something different" from an opinion into a documented fact.

Someone is using my EAN: what to do, step by step

When you find another offer on your page, or another product on your code, work through these steps before you send a single message. Most wasted disputes skip step two.

1. Document first. Take dated screenshots of the listing, the other offer, the seller name and the product page URL. Things change quickly once a seller notices you are looking.
2. Decide which situation you are in. Is the other seller offering the identical genuine product, or a different one? If it is identical and genuine, on most catalogue marketplaces they are entitled to be there; your options are price, service and brand building. If it is different or counterfeit, carry on.
3. Check the code in both registers. Look the number up in Verified by GS1 and, if you bought it from us, on the GTINcodes check page. Make sure the records say what you think they say before you rely on them.
4. Make a test purchase. Order from the other seller and record the unboxing. Keep the parcel and invoice.
5. Assemble your evidence pack. Trademark certificate (if any), code certificate, invoice, dated product photos, listing date, test purchase evidence. Name the files clearly and put them in one PDF if the platform allows.
6. Report through the marketplace's own channel. Use the route for the specific problem: "wrong product on listing", "counterfeit" or "intellectual property", rather than general support. Keep the message short and factual.
7. Contact the other seller only if useful. A short, factual note with your evidence sometimes resolves a genuine mistake, such as a seller who copied the wrong code. Do not make threats you cannot back with a trademark.
8. Escalate with legal advice where there is a trademark. If the goods are counterfeit and you hold a trademark, a lawyer can advise on next steps. Without a trademark, legal routes are much weaker.

A short, effective report message

Product page [link / EAN] shows an offer from [seller] that is not the product described. Our product is [brand, model, size], sold on this page since [date]. Attached: dated photos of our product and packaging, a test purchase from [seller] on [date] with unboxing video showing a different item, our trademark registration [number], and proof of purchase and first allocation of this EAN to our company from the GTINcodes register, dated [date]. Please remove the non-matching offer.

Notice what the message does not claim: it does not say the EAN is "registered with GS1" and it does not demand exclusivity. It states the product is different and proves it.

Handling EAN disputes on Amazon, bol.com, Kaufland and other marketplaces

Each platform has its own rules, and they change. Everything below is as of October 2026; check the platform's help pages before acting.

Amazon

Amazon checks UPCs and EANs against the GS1 database: "UPCs that do not match the information provided by GS1 will be considered invalid", and listings with false product IDs can be removed and selling privileges restricted. For branded products, a reseller code cannot pass this check in your company's name, because GS1's data shows the original licence holder. That means a GTINcodes certificate will not resolve a 5461 or 5462 error on a branded listing. The realistic routes for a brand are a GS1 code that matches the brand, a GTIN exemption, or Brand Registry.

Brand Registry is also Amazon's main tool against hijackers and requires a registered or pending trademark. Changing the product ID on an existing ASIN is hard; sellers report deleting and recreating listings and losing reviews. Decide on your code strategy before you build a listing with years of reviews on it. The details are in our Amazon EAN guide.

bol.com

bol.com requires "a valid, registered ISBN or EAN/GTIN". For branded items it is mandatory to use an EAN registered with GS1. For unbranded items bol.com currently says it does "not yet enforce" unregistered EANs (bol.com partner platform, checked October 2026). Some third parties report stricter enforcement since 2026, so re-check before relying on this.

One EAN equals one product, shared by every seller. Owning the EAN gives you no exclusivity on bol.com, and the case law above shows that an identical genuine product on your EAN is not infringement. Your levers are a visible trademark, precise listing content, and reporting offers that are not the described product, with evidence. For unbranded items on a GTINcodes code, the certificate helps show that the number was issued to you first and for which product. See EAN codes for bol.com, including "EAN already in use" for the full rules.

Kaufland, Cdiscount, eBay and others

• Kaufland builds one product page per EAN and attaches every seller's offer. Listing the same product under several EANs is forbidden and can lead to removal. We found no published GS1-only rule, so evidence of first allocation and product match is relevant here.
• Cdiscount has required a GTIN for every new product since February 2021. Variant conflicts are common; fix them by giving each colour its own EAN rather than arguing about ownership.
• eBay asks for product identifiers in many categories but accepts "Does not apply" where there is none. eBay does not appear to check the GS1 licensee, though we could not confirm this on an official page.
• Zalando and retail chains in practice expect GS1 codes registered to the brand owner. A reseller certificate will not help there.

When is GS1 or a trademark the better choice?

A reseller code with a good register fits a lot of sellers: unbranded or generic products, own webshops, and marketplaces where the rule is "a valid, unique EAN". It is the wrong tool in other situations, and we would rather you know that before you buy.

Choose GS1 if

• You sell a branded product on Amazon and want a GTIN rather than an exemption.
• You sell branded items on bol.com.
• You sell on Zalando, or to supermarkets and retail chains.
• You need your company to appear in GS1's registry, for example because a customer such as Adeo requires product data in Verified by GS1.

GS1 calls itself "the only official provider of GS1 GTINs and EAN/UPC barcodes globally" (GS1). In 2026 a micro-business pays roughly €60–€130 a year for 10–100 GS1 codes in the Netherlands, Germany and the UK, and roughly €220–€410 in the first year in France, Spain and Italy. The right to use the codes ends if you stop paying. Our honest comparison of GS1 membership and buying from a reseller sets out the costs country by country.

Register a trademark if

• You are building a brand and expect others to copy or piggyback on it.
• You want access to Amazon Brand Registry.
• You want a real legal basis to act against counterfeits.

A trademark and an EAN do different jobs. The trademark protects the name; the EAN identifies the product. Many serious sellers need both, and the trademark matters more in disputes.

A reseller code with protection fits if

• Your products are unbranded or generic, or sold mainly in your own webshop, on eBay, Kaufland or similar channels.
• You want a dated, publicly checkable record that each number was issued to your company, for use with competitors, platforms that do not check GS1 data, and to show good faith.

If that is you, you can buy EAN codes registered to your company and add protection when you need it.

Worked examples: which evidence wins which dispute

These illustrations use invented sellers. They show how the reasoning above plays out.

A candle seller on bol.com finds a cheaper offer on her page

A seller of unbranded soy candles listed a 200 g jar on bol.com with a code she bought and registered with GTINcodes. A second seller appears on the page at a lower price. Her test purchase shows a 150 g paraffin candle in a different jar. She reports the offer as "not the described product", attaching her product photos, the listing date, the test purchase video, and the check page showing her company name and the product name for that code. The case is about a different product, and her evidence shows exactly that. If the test purchase had shown an identical candle from the same supplier, she would have had no case and should have focused on price and service.

Brand X socks on Amazon hit error 5461

A small sock brand used reseller codes and entered "Brand X" as the brand. Amazon returns 5461. Sending a reseller certificate will not help, because the error comes from the GS1 brand check and GS1's data shows a different licence holder. The right fix is to apply for a GTIN exemption or use Brand Registry with the brand's trademark, or to get GS1 codes. A reseller code is only realistic on Amazon for genuinely generic listings, and even then it carries risk.

Two sellers claim the same number on Kaufland

A gadget seller finds that his EAN is already attached to a phone stand from another seller. He looks the number up on the check page: it was issued to his company two years earlier, and the product name on file is his cable organiser. He asks the other seller where they got the number. They say they "found it online". He reports the conflict to Kaufland with the check page, certificate and invoice, and the dated photos of his packaging showing the barcode. Here the register does exactly what it is for: it shows who was given the number first and for which product.

A buyer whose old codes were sold twice

A seller bought 100 cheap codes years ago from a marketplace listing with no register. Several turn out to be in use by other businesses. There is no record anyone can check, so there is nothing to argue with. The practical fix is to stop using those numbers for new products, give the affected products new, unused codes from a source that registers them, and update listings where the platform allows. Do not keep trying other codes from the same batch.

Preventing disputes before they start

Most of the effort in a dispute goes into reconstructing facts after the event. A few habits make that unnecessary.

• Buy from a source with a register you can check. Ask whether every number is issued once and recorded against the buyer, and whether anyone can verify that publicly. If not, you cannot prove anything later.
• Check a code before you print it. Look it up in Verified by GS1 and search the marketplace for the number. If a product page already exists for something else, do not use that code.
• Give every variant its own code. Each size, colour or flavour needs its own GTIN. A 3-pack is a different trade item from a single. Shared codes between variants cause many "already in use" errors.
• Never reuse a code for a different product. Marketplaces remember old links, and the GS1 rule since 2019 is no reuse.
• Keep a simple code log. For each number: product, variant, date first used, channels, and where the code came from. Attach the certificate and invoice.
• Put your brand on the product and packaging if you have one, and register the trademark early.
• Write precise listings. Exact dimensions, materials, weights and photos of the actual item make "different product" cases easy to prove.
• Photograph every production run with the barcode visible and keep the files with dates.
• Decide your code strategy early. If you may move to GS1 or Brand Registry later, plan it before your listings collect reviews, because changing a product ID can be difficult.

If you also feed products to Google Shopping, the same discipline applies there: one GTIN per variant, never guessed. Our guide to GTINs for Google Shopping and identifier_exists explains when you can leave the GTIN out entirely.

Checklist: proving EAN ownership and handling a dispute

1. Know what you are claiming: an EAN shows which number was given to you, not exclusive rights to a product page.
2. Work out whether the other seller offers the identical genuine product (usually allowed) or a different one (reportable).
3. Check the code in Verified by GS1 and, for GTINcodes numbers, on the public check page. Understand which register the platform relies on.
4. Collect dated screenshots, your listing date, product and packaging photos, invoices and the code certificate.
5. Make a test purchase and record the unboxing if you suspect a different or counterfeit product.
6. Describe your certificate accurately: proof of purchase and first allocation from the GTINcodes register, not a GS1 registration.
7. Use the marketplace's specific reporting route and keep the message short and factual.
8. For branded products on Amazon or bol.com, for Zalando and for retail chains, use GS1 codes, a GTIN exemption or Brand Registry rather than a reseller certificate.
9. Register a trademark if you are building a brand; it is the strongest tool in most disputes.
10. Prevent repeats: one code per variant, no reuse, a code log, and a source that registers every number once.