Amazon and Cartier File Two Joint Lawsuits Against Counterfeiters Using Social Media to Traffic Counterfeit Luxury Goods
15 Junio 2022 - 08:10AM
Business Wire
Bad actors sought to evade Amazon’s detection
by listing generic products in Amazon’s store while purposefully
promoting counterfeits on social media
Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) and Cartier today announced two joint
lawsuits against a social media influencer and eight businesses
(collectively, the “defendants”) for advertising, promoting, and
facilitating the sale of counterfeit luxury goods through Instagram
and other websites, infringing on Cartier’s registered trademarks
and violating Amazon’s policies.
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The lawsuits were filed in the United States District Court for
the Western District of Washington and allege the defendants
colluded with each other to sell counterfeit products and engage in
false advertising.
“By using social media to promote counterfeit products, bad
actors undermine trust and mislead customers,” said Kebharu Smith,
associate general counsel and director of the Amazon Counterfeit
Crimes Unit (CCU). “Amazon will keep investing and innovating to
stay ahead of counterfeiters, and working with brands and law
enforcement to hold bad actors accountable. We don’t just want to
chase them away from Amazon—we want to stop them for good.”
Among the nine defendants, the lawsuits allege that a social
media influencer conspired with bad actors to attempt to circumvent
Amazon’s anti-counterfeiting detection tools by promoting
counterfeit luxury products—including fake Cartier bracelets,
necklaces, and rings—on Instagram as well as their own
websites.
The criminals openly posted photos of counterfeit Cartier
jewelry, with a description of the infringing product on Instagram,
but on Amazon and other websites, they created product detail pages
for generic products with no indication of infringement. The
defendants then provided customers on Instagram a link to the
generic product on Amazon or other websites, and they told
customers if they purchased the generic item, they would receive a
counterfeit Cartier product.
One such product attempted to replicate Cartier’s iconic LOVE
bracelet, which was first introduced as part of Cartier’s LOVE
collection in 1969. This product was listed on Amazon disguised as
a non-branded product with the description “Women’s Fashion Classic
Screw Love Titanium Steel Bracelet” with no mention of Cartier and
an image that carefully concealed the screw motif of Cartier’s
authentic LOVE bracelet. On Instagram the product was clearly
advertised as a counterfeit with images bearing the Cartier name
and screw motif. When the generic product was purchased from
Amazon, the counterfeit Cartier LOVE bracelet bearing the Cartier
trademarks was shipped to the customer.
The criminals repeatedly directed and instructed their social
media followers on how to try to purchase infringing products on
Amazon, by directing them to links or sending direct messages from
Instagram, on how to purchase “high-quality copies” of luxury
brands such as Cartier in the Amazon store and other online
marketplaces.
Amazon is deeply committed to protecting brands’ intellectual
property and strictly prohibits counterfeit products in its stores.
In 2021, Amazon invested more than $900 million and employed more
than 12,000 people dedicated to protecting customers, brands,
selling partners, and the store from counterfeit, fraud, and other
forms of abuse. Amazon’s proactive investments in preventing
counterfeits include robust seller vetting, advanced machine
learning technologies, and industry-leading brand protection tools
like Project Zero, Brand Registry, and Transparency.
The Amazon Counterfeit Crimes Unit is a global team with
specialized experience in investigating and bringing legal action
against bad actors to protect consumers and brands. The CCU works
closely with law enforcement and brand partners to investigate and
litigate, including bringing both criminal and civil suits. It has
filed a series of lawsuits against counterfeiters in partnership
with brands such as YETI, GoPro, Hanes, Valentino, Salvatore
Ferragamo, and many others. More on Amazon’s efforts to protect
brands and hold bad actors accountable be found in Amazon’s latest
Brand Protection Report.
The court filings are available here:
- Case: 2:22-cv-00840, United States District Court for the
Western District of Washington
- Case: 2:22-cv-00841, United States District Court for the
Western District of Washington
About Amazon
Amazon is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather
than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to
operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Amazon strives to
be Earth’s Most Customer-Centric Company, Earth’s Best Employer,
and Earth’s Safest Place to Work. Customer reviews, 1-Click
shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by
Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Career Choice, Fire
tablets, Fire TV, Amazon Echo, Alexa, Just Walk Out technology,
Amazon Studios, and The Climate Pledge are some of the things
pioneered by Amazon. For more information, visit amazon.com/about
and follow @AmazonNews.
About Cartier
A reference in the world of luxury, Cartier, whose name is
synonymous with open-mindedness and curiosity, stands out with its
creations and reveals beauty wherever it may lie. Jewellery, high
jewellery, watchmaking and fragrances, leather goods and
accessories: Cartier's creations symbolize the convergence between
exceptional craftsmanship and a timeless signature. Today, Cartier
is part of Richemont and has a worldwide presence through its
network of flagships and boutiques, authorized retail partners, and
online. www.cartier.com
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