Amazon and Cartier File Two Joint Lawsuits against Counterfeiters on Social Media
Jun 15, 2022 By MarketDepth
Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) has announced two joint lawsuits against a social media influencer and eight businesses for advertising promoting and facilitating the sale of counterfeit luxury goods through Instagram and other websites that infringe on Cartier’s registered trademarks and violates Amazon’s policies. These lawsuits were filed in the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington and allege the defendants colluded with one another 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.”
Attempting to Circumvent Anti-Counterfeiting
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.
Direct Messaging and Direct Links
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.
