Amazon and YETI File Joint Lawsuit against Counterfeiters

Rhea-AI Summary

Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) and YETI Coolers have filed a lawsuit against two individuals for attempting to sell counterfeit YETI products, violating both Amazon’s policies and YETI’s intellectual property rights. The lawsuit was submitted in the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington. Amazon has made significant investments, exceeding $500 million in 2019 alone, to combat counterfeit products. Additionally, they established the Counterfeit Crimes Unit in June 2020 to enforce brand protection.

Positive

• Filed lawsuit aims to protect YETI's brand integrity and combat counterfeits.
• Amazon's investment of over $500 million in 2019 to prevent counterfeiting demonstrates commitment to safeguarding brands.
• The establishment of the Counterfeit Crimes Unit enhances Amazon's ability to address and mitigate counterfeit issues.

Negative

• None.

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) and YETI Coolers, LLC. (“YETI”) (NYSE: YETI) jointly filed a lawsuit against two US-based individuals (the “defendants”) for counterfeiting YETI’s products, including YETI’s popular Rambler® mug. The defendants attempted to offer the infringing products in Amazon’s store, violating Amazon’s policies, YETI’s intellectual property rights, and the law.

The lawsuit was filed in the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington and alleges the defendants, Michael White and Karen White of San Diego, California, operated in concert with each other in their attempts to sell counterfeit YETI products. Amazon closed their selling accounts and refunded impacted customers.

Amazon strictly prohibits counterfeit products in its stores, and in 2019 alone, invested more than $500 million to protect customers and brands from fraud and abuse, including counterfeit. Amazon’s proactive investments in preventing counterfeit include robust seller vetting, advanced machine-learning based technologies, and industry-leading brand protection tools like Project Zero, Brand Registry, and Transparency. As a result of Amazon’s efforts, 99.9% of all products viewed by customers on Amazon have not received a valid counterfeit complaint.

In June 2020, Amazon launched its Counterfeit Crimes Unit, a global team dedicated to pursuing bad actors and holding them accountable to the fullest extent of the law, including working with law enforcement. Amazon has filed a series of lawsuits against counterfeiters, including a suit against individuals using social media to promote and facilitate the sale of counterfeits, as well as joint lawsuits with Italian luxury fashion house Valentino, cosmetics brand KF Beauty, and family travel accessory brand JL Childress.

Statement, attributable to Amazon:

“We do not allow counterfeits in our store and we take aggressive action to hold bad actors that attempt to evade our proactive protections accountable,” said Cristina Posa, Associate General Counsel and Director, Amazon Counterfeit Crimes Unit. “We appreciate YETI’s close cooperation throughout this investigation.”

Statement, attributable to YETI:

“YETI works aggressively to protect our consumers, our intellectual property rights, and our brand from the actions of counterfeiters and those who facilitate the importation and sale of counterfeit goods,” said Bryan Barksdale, Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary at YETI. “We appreciate Amazon’s commitment to this shared objective.”

You can see the court filing here:

• Case: 2:20-cv-01773, United States District Court for the Western District of Washington

Amazon has an extensive history protecting brands and taking action to hold bad actors accountable:

• Amazon Project Zero launches in 7 new countries
• Amazon Transparency protects more than 10,000 brands
• Amazon Establishes Counterfeit Crimes Unit to Bring Counterfeits to Justice
• IPR Center, Amazon Launch ‘Operation Fulfilled Action’ to Stop Counterfeiters
• Amazon Files Lawsuit Against Counterfeiters Using Social Media to Promote Sales
• Amazon Supports Resolution of 3M Case Against Fraudsters
• Amazon Supports Investigation, Prosecution of New York Defendants Charged in Fraud Scheme
• Amazon and KF Beauty File Joint Lawsuit Against Counterfeiters
• Amazon and Valentino File Joint Lawsuit Against New York-Based Counterfeit

About Amazon

Amazon is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Fire tablets, Fire TV, Amazon Echo, and Alexa are some of the products and services pioneered by Amazon. For more information, visit amazon.com/about and follow @AmazonNews.

About YETI Holdings, Inc.

Headquartered in Austin, Texas, YETI is a global designer, retailer, and distributor of innovative outdoor products. From coolers and drinkware to backpacks and bags, YETI products are built to meet the unique and varying needs of diverse outdoor pursuits, whether in the remote wilderness, at the beach, or anywhere life takes our customers. By consistently delivering high-performing, exceptional products, we have built a strong following of brand loyalists throughout the world, ranging from serious outdoor enthusiasts to individuals who simply value products of uncompromising quality and design. We have an unwavering commitment to outdoor and recreation communities, and we are relentless in our pursuit of building superior products for people to confidently enjoy life outdoors and beyond. For more information, please visit www.YETI.com.