How write permissions are determined
Nobody can say 100% reliably and for sure how exactly the write permissions are set. As a general rule, the first seller to create the listing for this product on Amazon will hold the write permission. You can create a new listing by clicking on “Add new product” in the seller central, then entering an EAN or another bar code and therefore initially uploading this product to Amazon. This also creates a new ASIN.
The answer to the question of who owns the write permission can also change over time – for example if the listing has been deactivated or inactive and someone else created an active listing at its place in the meantime. In this case, Amazon will think that the data of the active listing is more important than the original ones. From time to time, Amazon therefore overwrites some rights and permissions which usually entails a lot of chaos.
However, as a brand owner, meaning the admin of the brand, you always have the right and also the opportunity to adjust the data in any way you like, and you can get that permission back. This is only possible with a registered trademark though!
Transferring write permissions
If you want to transfer the write permissions of your product listing, for example from an old to a new account, it is absolutely crucial not just to deactivate the listing – you have to delete it completely. Otherwise, Amazon will take the product data off the platform and the write permission will go to whoever registers this product next in the seller central. However, in the real Amazon world, there can be exceptions to this and instances where this approach won’t work.