Canon and Amazon sue counterfeit sellers
October 4, 2024
Canon and Amazon target counterfeit toner sellers in joint legal action, alleging trademark violations.
Canon appears to be upping the ante in its battle against counterfeit products. Traditionally, Canon has relied on intellectual property (IP) infringement claims to have counterfeit goods removed from Amazon’s platform.
In a significant shift, Canon has teamed up with Amazon to file a lawsuit against international sellers accused of distributing counterfeit Canon printer toner cartridges. This marks a departure from Canon’s earlier strategy, as reported by The Recycler in its half-year IP enforcement summary, where the company typically used IP claims to remove over 800 counterfeit listings from platforms like Amazon?.
The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, names 13 defendants, including individuals from Turkey, Ukraine, and the U.S., as well as 10 unnamed “Doe Defendants.” These sellers are accused of falsifying documents to create fake selling accounts on Amazon and marketing counterfeit Canon-branded toner cartridges. Canon confirmed these products as counterfeit through test purchases and investigations, highlighting significant deviations from its genuine products.
Canon, a leading printer OEM, argues that these actions have severely damaged its brand reputation and violated its intellectual property. Amazon is also seeking damages for breach of contract, noting that the sale of counterfeit goods contravenes its Business Solutions Agreement and Anti-Counterfeiting Policy. Amazon, which is increasing its anti-counterfeiting efforts, promptly suspended the accounts involved and refunded affected customers.
While Canon typically uses IP claims to remove counterfeit products, no details on the volume of counterfeit cartridges sold or their financial value were disclosed in this lawsuit.
This case, published by The Recycler, earlier this week follows a similar joint action by Amazon, Xerox, and Lexmark, marking a broader trend of collaboration among major brands to combat counterfeiters in the digital marketplace. The plaintiffs seek statutory damages, a permanent injunction, and the destruction of counterfeit goods held by the defendants.
Categories : Around the Industry
Tags : Amazon Canon Cartridges Counterfeiting IP Lawsuit Legal
