Benzinga | Nov 9, 2021 11:41AM EST

Amazon, Weber Report Jointly Filed Suit Against 12 Defendants For Selling Products That Illegally Bear The WEBER Trademark In Amazon's Store

Today, Amazon.com, Inc. ("Amazon") (NASDAQ:AMZN), together with a subsidiary of Weber Inc. (NYSE:WEBR) ("Weber"), jointly filed a lawsuit against 12 defendants for selling products that illegally bear the WEBER(r) registered trademark in Amazon's store. The defendants attempted to offer counterfeit versions of the global grill maker's grill covers, violating Amazon's policies, infringing on Weber's registered trademarks, and breaking the law.

The lawsuit was filed in the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington and alleges that the defendants conspired to deceive customers about the authenticity and origin of their products and create a false affiliation with Weber. Amazon closed the defendants' selling accounts and proactively refunded the impacted customers.

"If counterfeiters attempt to sell in our store, they don't just break the law and violate the rights of companies like Weber, they mislead consumers," said Kebharu Smith, Director of Amazon's Counterfeit Crimes Unit. "In the rare instances when counterfeiters are able to bypass our enforcement tools and teams, we will find them and hold them fully accountable."

Amazon strictly prohibits infringing and counterfeit products in its store, and in 2020, Amazon invested more than $700 million and employed more than 10,000 people to proactively protect its store from fraud, counterfeit, and abuse. Amazon uses industry-leading tools to verify potential sellers' identities and ensure product listings are authentic, and Amazon's proprietary systems analyze hundreds of unique data points to verify information provided by potential sellers. In 2020, only 6% of attempted new seller account registrations passed Amazon's robust verification processes and listed products for sale. In addition, fewer than 0.01% of all products sold on Amazon received a counterfeit complaint from customers.

"Protecting consumers and our brand are top priorities for Weber," said Phil Zadeik, General Counsel of Weber. "As the world's leading company in outdoor cooking, we take tremendous pride in developing, manufacturing, and offering high-quality, durable, innovative products that meet or exceed our strict standards. And when that premise is jeopardized with counterfeit goods, we take action. We appreciate Amazon's partnership and their commitment to only offering authentic Weber products to those that love to barbecue."

The court filings are available here:

* Case: 2:21-cv-01512, 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 Counterfeit Crimes Unit Reaches Settlement with Influencers Who Ran Social Media Counterfeiting Scheme

* Amazon and Asmodee File Joint Lawsuit Against Counterfeiters

* Amazon and HanesBrands File Joint Lawsuits Against Infringers of Champion Trademarks

* Amazon Published Comprehensive Brand Protection Report Demonstrating Progress Toward Driving Counterfeits to Zero

* Amazon Establishes Counterfeit Crimes Unit to Bring Counterfeits to Justice

* Amazon Launches IP Accelerator in Europe to Help Small Businesses Protect Their Brands and Tackle Counterfeit

* IPR Center, Amazon Launch 'Operation Fulfilled Action' to Stop Counterfeiters

* Amazon and YETI File Joint Lawsuit against Counterfeiters

* Amazon and Salvatore Ferragamo File Two Joint Lawsuits Against Counterfeiters