Adidas goes to war with Yeezy counterfeiters

Adidas has taken nearly 200 defendants to court over the sale of counterfeit trainers online. 

The company filed its lawsuit against 196 defendants yesterday, November 1, at the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida, seeking injunctive relief and damages. 

The defendants operate sites including 2018yeezy.com and getyeezyboost.com. 

Adidas Yeezy Boost shoes are the official collaboration trainers by Kanye West and Adidas. 

“Like many other famous trademark owners, plaintiffs suffer ongoing daily and sustained violations of their respective trademark rights at the hands of counterfeiters and infringers, such as defendants herein, who wrongfully reproduce and counterfeit plaintiffs’ trademarks for the twin purposes of (i) duping and confusing the consuming public and (ii) earning substantial profits,” said the suit. 

Adidas claimed that the defendants reside and/or operate in foreign jurisdictions and that without injunctive relief, they will increase their illegal marketplace enterprise.

The domain names reportedly feature Adidas’s trademarks and these are “essential components” of the defendants’ counterfeiting and infringing activities.

The claim added: “Moreover, defendants are using plaintiffs’ respective famous names and/or trademarks to drive internet consumer traffic to their websites operating under the subject domain names, thereby creating and increasing the value of the subject domain names and decreasing the size and value of plaintiffs’ legitimate marketplace at plaintiffs’ expense.”

Adidas is seeking an injunction against the defendants, transfer of the infringing domain names and triple damages.