Amazon, Cartier sue counterfeiters using social media to sell fakes
Amazon US and luxury jewellery brand Cartier have filed a joint lawsuit against social media influencers and eight businesses for facilitating the sale of counterfeit luxury goods through Instagram and other websites.
The suits allege a group of nine defendants conspired to circumvent Amazon’s anti-counterfeiting detection tools by promoting counterfeit jewellery from Cartier including bracelets, necklaces and rings on Instagram.
When customers look for counterfeit Cartier jewellery on Instagram, they would be directed to a generic product detail page on Amazon and other websites, with no indication of infringement.
Customers were then told that they would receive counterfeit Cartier jewellery when they buy the said generic item from the websites.
Kebharu Smith, associate general counsel and director of the Amazon Counterfeit Crimes Unit (CCU), said: “By using social media to promote counterfeit products, bad actors undermine trust and mislead customers.
“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.”
The CCU works with law enforcement to investigate and litigate both criminal and civil suits. The lawsuit is filed in the Western District of Washington in the US.
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