‘Peppa Pig’ owners sue over counterfeit merchandise

The owners of popular children's TV show “Peppa Pig” have sued a number of Chinese enterprises over counterfeit merchandise related to the show.

Canadian company Entertainment One (eOne), which owns the production company behind “Peppa Pig”, filed the lawsuit against the unnamed defendants at the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

In the complaint, filed on Monday, April 15, eOne claimed that the fake goods were sold on numerous internet platforms.

The defendants’ online stores are designed to appear as authorised retailers of “Peppa Pig” merchandise, eOne added.

“The defendant internet stores often include content and images that make it very difficult for consumers to distinguish such stores from an authorised retailer,” said the claim.

According to the Canadian company, these goods and websites infringe its marks including for the ‘Peppa Pig’ name and logo.

“[The] defendants go to great lengths to conceal their identities and often use multiple fictitious names and addresses to register and operate their network”, the complaint said.

eOne sued over trademark infringement, copyright infringement, counterfeiting, false designation of origin and violation of Illinois state trade law.

The “Peppa Pig” owner is seeking an order online platforms to block the defendants’ accounts and cease providing services, as well as damages from the defendants.