Amazon and Cartier file joint lawsuits against counterfeiters

By

Jennifer Braun

Published
Jun 16, 2022

Amazon and Cartier are going after counterfeiters in a joint effort. 

On Wednesday, the companies jointly filed two lawsuits targeting a social media influencer and eight businesses who have allegedly used social media to push counterfeit luxury goods. 

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.”

In particular, the lawsuits allege that a social media influencer promoted counterfeit luxury products—including fake Cartier bracelets, necklaces, and rings— on Instagram as well as their own websites.

Photos of counterfeit Cartier jewelry, with a description of the infringing product, were openly posted on Instagram, but on Amazon and other websites, product detail pages were created for generic products with no indication of infringement.  

Amazon said it is deeply committed to protecting brands’ intellectual property and strictly prohibits counterfeit products in its stores. In fact, in 2021, it 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. 

The Amazon Counterfeit Crimes Unit, a global team with specialized experience in investigating and bringing legal action against bad actors, has previously filed a series of lawsuits against counterfeiters with brands such as Yeti, GoPro, Hanes, Valentino, Salvatore Ferragamo, and many others.