Amazon, GoPro file joint lawsuit against counterfeiters

GaryPageau ,

 

GoPro The Handler

Amazon.com, Inc. and GoPro, Inc. unsealed a jointly filed lawsuit against seven individuals and two entities for counterfeiting GoPro’s popular camera accessories, including the floating hand grip, “The Handler,” and the “3-Way” grip, extension arm, and tripod mount, according to a press release. The defendants attempted to offer the infringing products in Amazon’s store, violating Amazon’s policies, infringing on GoPro’s trademarks, and breaking the law.

The lawsuit – Amazon.com Inc et all v. Pengyu Building Materials et all 2:21-cv-00358-RAJ, United States District Court for the Western District of Washington – alleges nine defendants used GoPro’s registered trademarks without authorization to deceive customers about the authenticity and origin of the products and create a false affiliation with GoPro. Amazon closed the defendants’ selling accounts and proactively refunded the impacted customers.

“When counterfeiters attempt to sell in our store, they not only violate the intellectual property rights of companies like GoPro, they also mislead consumers and harm Amazon’s reputation as a place to buy authentic goods,” said Kebharu Smith, Director of Amazon’s Counterfeit Crimes Unit.

Amazon says it has invested more than $700 million and employed more than 10,000 people to proactively protect its store from fraud, counterfeit, and abuse since launching its Counterfeit Crimes Unit in June, 2020. The retail giant says fewer than 0.01% of all products sold on Amazon received a counterfeit complaint from customers. Amazon has filed a series of lawsuits against counterfeiters, including a suit against individuals using social media to promote and facilitate the sale of counterfeits, as well as joint lawsuits with apparel manufacturer HanesBrands, Italian luxury brands Valentino and Ferragamo, cosmetics brand KF Beauty, family travel accessory brand JL Childress, cooler manufacturer YETI, family-owned-and-operated card game company Dutch Blitz, and global board game publisher Asmodee.

The suit is ironic, considering Amazon has been credibly accused of copying numerous manufacturers’ products, most notably for the photo industry: Peak Designs’ signature sling bag.