Amazon Teams with Cartier on Joint Lawsuit Against Counterfeiting

The companies are suing eight Amazon sellers and an individual operating with the handle Phym9y3v on social media for peddling fake Cartier goods on the e-commerce giant’s platform. It marks the latest move from Amazon in its ongoing war against counterfeiters, whose presence on the site has long frustrated top brands and helped deter big luxury names from selling with Amazon.

Amazon and Cartier allege that to avoid Amazon’s anti-counterfeiting detection tools, the defendants promoted fake Cartier items on social media, directing would-be shoppers to an Amazon product page for a non-branded version of the same item. Customers who placed orders would receive the fake Cartier pieces originally advertised on social media, the lawsuit, which was filed in the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington, claims.

Recently Amazon has been ramping up efforts to crackdown on fakes being sold on its website, reportedly sharing its data on counterfeit goods with law enforcement officials and partnering with brands like Valentino and Ferragamo to take legal action against suspected culprits. Last year, the company said it invested over $900 million in fighting counterfeiting.

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The Pandemic Has Created a ‘Perfect Storm’ for Counterfeits. Just Ask Louis Vuitton.

As if Covid-19 hasn’t already done enough damage to the fashion industry, intellectual property experts are now warning that it has also left the door open for counterfeit products to proliferate at an unprecedented pace.