HOW TO SERVE LEGAL PAPERS ON AMAZON.COM

This article will provide guidance on how to serve legal papers on Amazon.com. Amazon.com, Inc. is a global technology corporation headquartered in Seattle, Washington. Its primary businesses include e-commerce, cloud computing, digital streaming, and artificial intelligence. It is one of the Big Five technological firms in the United States, with Google, Apple, Microsoft, and Facebook. The business has been dubbed ‘one of the world’s most powerful economic and cultural forces and is the world’s most valuable brand. Amazon overtook Walmart as the most valuable retailer in the United States in 2015, according to market capitalization. Amazon bought Whole Foods Market for USD 13.4 billion in 2017, significantly expanding its physical retail presence. Amazon Prime, its two-day delivery service, reached a hundred million members globally in 2018.

BACKGROUND ON AMAZON.COM

On July 5^TH, 1994, Jeff Bezos started Amazon from his garage in Bellevue, Washington. It began as an online book store before expanding to include electronics, software, video games, clothing, furniture, food, toys, and jewelry. As a case study to understand the scope of Amazon.com, Toys ‘R’ Us signed a 10-year deal with Amazon for USD 50 million per year in the 2000s plus a share of sales, under which Toys ‘R’ Us would be the sole provider of toys and baby goods on the service and the chain’s website would redirect to Amazon’s Toys & Games category. In 2004, Toys ‘R’ Us sued Amazon, alleging that due to a perceived lack of diversity in Toys ‘R’ Us stock, Amazon intentionally permitted third-party sellers to sell goods on the site in areas for which Toys ‘R’ Us was given exclusivity. In 2006, a judge decided in Toys ‘R’ Us’ favor, allowing it to terminate its deal with Amazon and launch its own independent e-commerce website. Later that year, the firm was granted USD 51 million in damages.

Amazon is well-known for upending traditional sectors via technology innovation and large-scale distribution. According to sales and market capitalization, it is the world’s biggest online marketplace, an AI assistant provider, a live-streaming platform, and a cloud computing platform. Amazon is the world’s biggest Internet business in terms of revenue. It is the United States’ second-biggest private employer and one of the world’s most valuable businesses. Amazon will have the greatest worldwide brand value by 2020.

HOW DOES AMAZON.COM FUNCTION

Amazon serves customers via their online and brick-and-mortar locations, with the company motto emphasizing variety, value, and convenience. The shops are designed to allow Amazon.com and third parties to sell hundreds of items across dozens of product categories. Customers may access these offerings through retail websites, mobile applications, Alexa, and in-store visits. Additionally, Amazon makes and sells electronic products such as the Kindle e-readers, Fire tablets, Fire TVs, and Echo devices, as well as creates and distributes media content.

A major incentive marketed by the entity for individuals to utilize Amazon.com is the low product pricing and shipping offers. Additionally, Amazon.com has long prided itself on its ability to provide simple-to-use functionality, prompt and dependable delivery, and responsive customer support. Additionally, they offer Amazon Prime, a subscription service that offers unlimited free delivery on over a hundred million products, unrestricted streaming of thousands of movies and television programs, and other perks.

AMAZON.COM AND ITS BUYERS, SELLERS, AND CONTENT CREATORS

Amazon.com offers programs that enable sellers to grow their businesses, sell their products in Amazon stores, and fulfill orders through them. The entity is not the seller of record in these transactions. Amazon.com serves developers and enterprises of all sizes, including start-ups, government agencies, and academic institutions, through their AWS segment, which offers a broad set of global compute, storage, database, and other service offerings.

Amazon.com also serves authors and independent publishers with Kindle Direct Publishing, an online service that lets independent authors and publishers choose a royalty option and make their books available in the Kindle Store, along with Amazon’s own publishing arm, Amazon Publishing. The entity further offers programs that allow authors, musicians, filmmakers, skill and app developers, and others to publish and sell content.

AMAZON.COM COMPETITION

Amazon.com businesses encompass a large variety of product types, service offerings, and delivery channels. Major current and potential competitors include: [A.] physical, e-commerce, and omnichannel retailers, publishers, vendors, distributors, manufacturers, and producers of the products the entity offers and sell to consumers and businesses; [B.] publishers, producers, and distributors of physical, digital, and interactive media of all types and all distribution channels; [C.] web search engines, comparison shopping websites, social networks, web portals, and other online and app-based means of discovering, using, or acquiring goods and services, either directly or in collaboration with other retailers;[D.] companies that provide e-commerce services, including website development, advertising, fulfilment, customer service, and payment processing; [E.] companies that provide fulfilment and logistics services for themselves or for third parties, whether online or offline; [F.] companies that provide information technology services or products, including on-premises or cloud-based infrastructure and other services; and [G.] companies that design, manufacture, market, or sell consumer electronics, telecommunication, and electronic devices.

AMAZON.COM INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

Since Amazon.com is easily distinguishable through its website interface, the entity’s trademarks, service marks, copyrights, patents, domain names, trade dress, trade secrets, proprietary technologies, and similar intellectual property are critical to their success, and thus protects them through trademark, copyright, and patent law, trade secret protection, and confidentiality and/or license agreements with Amazon employees, customers, partners, and others. Amazon.com has filed or applied for the registration of a variety of domain names, trademarks, service marks, and copyrights in the United States and internationally. Further, the entity has licensed some intellectual rights to third parties in the past and intends to do so in the future.

SUBSIDIARIES OF AMAZON.COM

HOW TO SERVE LEGAL PAPERS ON AMAZON ALTERNATIVE LLC

Amazon Alternative LLC is an active subsidiary of Amazon.com, requiring individual Process Services to be levied upon it. Amazon Alternative LLC was registered in California on 6^th January 2015 as a domestic limited liability company. The entity comes under California jurisdiction, as registered with the California Secretary of State, and is thus eligible for California Process Service. The entity retains a registered agent to deal with California Process Service, to whom the Secretary of State is required to forward California Process Service upon receipt. The registered agent for California Process Service for Amazon Alternative LLC is a Corporation Service Company, which does business in California as CSC – Lawyers Incorporating Service. It must be known that for the entity, a Statement of Information is due every odd-numbered year beginning five months before and through the end of June.

A corporation—including a limited liability corporation—may be served by effecting service on its agent for California process service. Since Amazon Alternative LLC is a limited liability corporation, it may also be served via substituted service. This requires that a copy of the summons and complaint be left at the office of the defendant (or, in some cases, at the mailing address of the person to be served), in the presence of a person who is apparently in charge. It also must be known that a copy of the summons and complaint will have to be mailed by first-class mail, postage prepaid to the defendant to be served at the place where a copy of the summons and complaint were left.

HOW TO SERVE LEGAL PAPERS ON AMAZON PROCESSING, LLC

Amazon Processing, LLC is located in San Diego, CA, United States, and is part of the Data Processing, Hosting, and Related Services Industry. The entity is a subsidiary of Amazon and is one of its most important holdings, wherein Amazon Processing is required to ensure Amazon’s functionality. Amazon Processing, LLC was incorporated on 21^st August 2002 as a foreign limited liability company.

The entity comes under Delaware jurisdiction as a general domestic limited liability company. However, since the registration was done in California on 21^st August, the entity is a foreign limited liability company and is thus eligible for California Process Service. The entity retains a registered agent to deal with California Process Service, to whom the Secretary of State is required to forward California Process Service upon receipt. The registered agent for Process Service for Amazon Processing, LLC is a Corporation Service Company.

All Delaware-incorporated companies are obliged to submit an annual report and pay a franchise tax. Domestic corporations that are tax-exempt are not required to pay tax but are still required to submit an annual report. The filing charge for a non-exempt domestic corporation’s annual report or amended annual reports amounts to USD 50, with taxes and Annual Reports being due by March 1st of each year. For companies that use the Authorized Shares Method, the minimum tax is USD 175.00; for corporations that use the Assumed Par Value Capital Method, the minimum tax is USD 400.00.

All companies that use either method are subject to a maximum tax of $200,000.00, unless they are designated as a Large Corporate Filer Each December, all Delaware Registered Agents get notification of upcoming Annual Report and Franchise Taxes. Delaware has required the electronic submission of annual reports by domestic companies.

A Statement of Information is due every even-numbered year beginning five months before and through the end of August.

HOW TO SERVE LEGAL PAPERS ON AMAZON.COM FINANCIAL SERVICES INC

Amazon.com Financial Services Inc is a separate company from Amazon.com. Amazon.com Financial Services Inc was registered on 20^th November 2000 under the jurisdiction of Delaware in Delaware. Although this means that the entity was a general domestic corporation in Delaware, with Amazon’s headquarters being in California, the entity would be typified as a foreign stock corporation for purposes of California Process Service. The entity accepts claims addressed specifically to their registered agent, Corporation Service Company, although California Process Service may also be provided to the chief executive officer or any other qualified officer.

Amazon Digital Services LLC operates as an electronic commerce company. The Company retails online products such as books, software, video games, electronics, apparel, furniture, food, toys, jewelry, and other related products. Amazon, like other retailers, sells a variety of goods. It also sells digital services such as music, movies, and software. Due to the subscription nature of these services, customers will be required to make either monthly or yearly payments, depending on their requirements, but annual memberships are always less expensive.

Amazon Digital Services LLC is the major subsidiary of Amazon.com, requiring individual Process Services to be levied upon it. Amazon Digital Services LLC was registered in Delaware on 7^th January 2015 as a domestic limited liability company. The entity comes under Delaware jurisdiction. The entity retains a registered agent to deal with California Process Service, to whom the Secretary of State is required to forward California Process Service upon receipt. The registered agent for California Process Service for Amazon Digital Services LLC is Corporation Service Company, which does business in California as CSC – Lawyers Incorporating Service

HOW TO SERVE LEGAL PAPERS ON AMAZON WEB SERVICES, INC.

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is a subsidiary of Amazon that provides cloud computing platforms and APIs on-demand to people, businesses, and governments on a pay-as-you-go basis. These cloud computing web services provide a collection of fundamental abstract technological infrastructure and distributed computing building blocks and tools. Among these solutions is Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2), which enables customers to access a virtual cluster of computers that is always accessible over the Internet. AWS’s virtual computers replicate the majority of the characteristics of a physical computer, including processing power from hardware central processing units (CPUs) and graphics processing units (GPUs); local/RAM memory; hard-disk/SSD storage; a choice of operating systems; networking; and pre-loaded application software such as web servers, databases, and customer relationship management (CRM).

AWS technology is deployed in server farms located around the globe and is supported by an Amazon subsidiary. Fees are determined by a mix of use (often referred to as a ‘Pay-as-you-go’ model), hardware, operating system, software, or networking characteristics selected by the subscriber to ensure necessary availability, redundancy, security, and service choices. Subscribers may purchase a single AWS virtual machine, a dedicated physical computer, or a combination of the two. Amazon offers security for subscribers’ systems as part of the subscription agreement AWS operates in a number of different geographical areas around the world, including six in North America.

Amazon positions AWS as a means for customers to acquire large-scale computing power more rapidly and inexpensively than by constructing a physical server farm. While all services are paid on a use basis, each service assesses consumption differently. According to Synergy Group, AWS holds 33% of all cloud (IaaS, PaaS) services in 2017, while the next two rivals, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud, control 18% and 9%, respectively.

Amazon Web Services is one of the most reputed subsidiaries of Amazon.com. The entity was registered as a domestic corporation in Delaware on 3^rd May 2006, with Corporation Service Company.

HOW TO SERVE LEGAL PAPERS ON AMAZON PAYMENTS, INC

Amazon Payments is a separate company from Amazon.com Inc. Additionally, Amazon Payments cannot share the individual’s Personal Information with anyone, including with Amazon. or other affiliated companies. Amazon Payments, Inc was registered on 24^th June 2005 under the jurisdiction of Delaware, typifying the entity as a foreign stock corporation for purposes of California Process Service. However, the entity may be contacted at the Amazon.com headquarters in Seattle. The entity accepts claims addressed specifically to their registered agent, Corporation Service Company, although California Process Service may also be provided to the chief executive officer or any other qualified officer.

HOW TO SERVE LEGAL PAPERS ON AMAZON ADVERTISING LLC

Although Amazon is primarily an e-commerce platform through which merchants sell their products, Amazon also enables marketers to display advertisements on its website. Advertisements are shown inside product searches, as banner advertisements, or as recommended items.

When businesses advertise on Amazon, they only pay when a consumer clicks on one of their products. Views are entirely free. Once consumers click to learn more, businesses will be paid for their advertisements. This method exposes goods to thousands of individuals while charging just for those that show an interest. Amazon advertisements are auction-based, which means that sellers choose the highest price they are prepared to pay for each click. The more money the seller is prepared to spend, the more likely such advertisements will be shown on Amazon.

Amazon Advertising LLC is an active subsidiary of Amazon.com, requiring individual Process Services to be levied upon it. Amazon Advertising LLC was registered in California on 4^th February 2009 as a foreign limited liability company. The entity comes under Washington jurisdiction instead, since the entity’s address and headquarters fall in Seattle.

The entity retains Corporation Service Company, as the registered agent. A Statement of Information is due every odd-numbered year beginning five months before and through the end of February.

HOW TO SERVE LEGAL PAPERS ON AMAZON DATA SERVICES, INC.

Amazon Data Services Inc. is typified as a foreign business corporation in California with the initial Department of State filing done on 21^st April 2017, although it falls under Delaware jurisdiction. Amazon Data Services Inc is classified as a foreign stock corporation. California Process Service may be levied on a registered agent for accepting California Process Service. Amazon Data Services Inc. retains Corporation Service Company as a registered agent for California Process Service. A Statement of Information is due every year beginning five months before and through the end of August.

Amazon fulfills customer orders in a variety of methods, including through fulfillment and delivery networks in North America and internationally; co-sourced and outsourced agreements in some regions; digital delivery; and physical shops. It is also important to note that Amazon.com runs customer support centers around the world and complements them with co-sourced services.

DOMESTIC COVERAGE AREAS:

INTERNATIONAL COVERAGE AREAS:

OFFICE LOCATIONS

New York: (212) 203-8001 – 590 Madison Avenue, 21st Floor, New York, New York 10022
Brooklyn: (347) 983-5436 – 300 Cadman Plaza West, 12th Floor, Brooklyn, New York 11201
Queens: (646) 357-3005 – 118-35 Queens Blvd, Suite 400, Forest Hills, New York 11375
Long Island: (516) 208-4577 – 626 RXR Plaza, 6th Floor, Uniondale, New York 11556
Westchester: (914) 414-0877 – 50 Main Street, 10th Floor, White Plains, New York 10606
Connecticut: (203) 489-2940 – 500 West Putnam Avenue, Suite 400, Greenwich, Connecticut 06830
New Jersey: (201) 630-0114 – 101 Hudson Street, 21 Floor, Jersey City, New Jersey 07302
Washington DC: (202) 655-4450 – 1101 Pennsylvania Avenue, Suite 300, Washington DC 20004

FOR ASSISTANCE SERVING LEGAL PAPERS

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Sources

1. Entity Address:

1620 26TH STREET, SUITE 4000N
SANTA MONICA CA 90404

Entity Mailing Address:

1620 26TH STREET, SUITE 4000N
SANTA MONICA CA 90404

2. (Code Civ. Proc., § 416.10, subd. (a); see also Corp. Code, § 17701.16, subd. (a) [allowing service on limited liability corporations under Code Civ. Proc., § 413.10 et seq.]

3. (Code Civ. Proc., § 415.20, subd. (a).)City of Fontana v. Bani, LLC, No. E062018, 2016 WL 2864971, at *11-12 (Cal. Ct. App. May 12, 2016).

4. Entity Address:

4619 VIEWRIDGE AVE STE C
SAN DIEGO CA 92123

Entity Mailing Address:

4619 VIEWRIDGE AVE STE C
SAN DIEGO CA 92123

5. CORPORATION SERVICE COMPANY

251 LITTLE FALLS DRIVE

WILMINGTON County: New Castle

DE Postal Code: 19808

302-636-5401

6. Entity Address:

1620 26TH STREET, SUITE 4000N
SANTA MONICA CA 90404

Entity Mailing Address:

1620 26TH STREET, SUITE 4000N
SANTA MONICA CA 90404

7. Entity Address:

410 TERRY AVENUE NORTH
SEATTLE WA 98109

Entity Mailing Address:

410 TERRY AVENUE NORTH
SEATTLE WA 98109

8. Entity Address:

1601 WILLOW ROAD
MENLO PARK CA 94025

Entity Mailing Address:

1601 WILLOW ROAD
MENLO PARK CA 94025

9. Entity Address:

410 TERRY AVENUE NORTH
SEATTLE WA 98109

Entity Mailing Address:

410 TERRY AVENUE NORTH
SEATTLE WA 98109

10. Entity Address:

1620 26TH STREET, SUITE 4000N
SANTA MONICA CA 90404

Entity Mailing Address:

1620 26TH STREET, SUITE 4000N
SANTA MONICA CA 90404

11. Entity Address:

410 TERRY AVE N
SEATTLE WA 98109

Entity Mailing Address:

410 TERRY AVE N
SEATTLE WA 98109