Amazon initiates action against alleged counterfeiters

For the first time in its history, Amazon has sued parties it suspects of using its online platform to sell counterfeit goods.

Amazon filed two suits in a US state court in Seattle in November 2016, naming more than 20 companies and individuals which it alleges have sold knock-offs via its website. In both lawsuits, Amazon accuses the defendants of breach of contract and false advertising, and is seeking to permanently bar the parties concerned from using its websites for selling goods.

In one of the suits, Amazon named New York-based individuals Cheng Hak Yung and Man Hong Chau, along with 10 others, who it claims to have manufactured fake suspension training gear which it sold over Amazon under the renowned TRX brand. Fitness Anywhere, the company which holds rights in the TRX brand, has joined Amazon as a plaintiff.

The second suit targets Californian entity ToysNet, Florida’s Disk Vision and 10 unknown individuals. The defendants are alleged to have used the Amazon platform to sell fake Forearm Forklift furniture lifting straps. The e-commerce giant also claims that “defendants tried to further their fraudulent scheme by submitting forged invoices to Amazon purporting to show that their products were authentic”.