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Luxury brand Chanel has sued a number of online counterfeiters who have allegedly sold unauthorised versions of its goods online.
The case was filed at the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida on Monday, June 5.
It accused the defendants, described as “individuals and/or business entities of unknown makeup”, of selling goods “bearing counterfeits and confusingly similar imitations” of Chanel’s trademarks.
It added that the defendant’s are “engaging in illegal counterfeiting and infringing activities knowingly and intentionally or with reckless disregard or wilful blindness to Chanel’s rights for the purpose of trading on Chanel’s goodwill and reputation”.
Chanel is the owner of numerous 'Chanel' trademarks, including a mark of two interlinked C’s. It owns several other trademarks covering a range of fashion goods such as jackets and sunglasses.
The suit further alleged that the defendants, who have 39 different online seller ID’s, were “employing and benefitting from substantially similar, paid advertising and marketing strategies based upon an illegal use of counterfeits and infringements of the Chanel marks”.
Chanel is seeking injunctive relief, destruction of the infringing goods, an order for the online platforms to remove the seller’s accounts, a transfer of profits and attorneys’ fees.
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