Chanel launches trademark infringement suit against counterfeiters

French luxury fashion house Chanel has filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against unnamed entities who sold fake goods online.

Chanel filed its lawsuit at the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida on Wednesday, October 26 against unnamed associations who allegedly distributed counterfeit goods that used confusingly similar marks to its own.

The fashion house owns a number of trademarks including for the terms ‘Chanel’, ‘Boy Chanel’ and ‘Coco Chanel’, which were registered at the US Patent and Trademark Office in May, June and September this year.

Chanel was founded by fashion designer Coco Chanel in 1909.

In the suit, Chanel claimed that the defendants are promoting and advertising goods, including “handbags, t-shirts, tops, brooches, cases for telephones”, which are “bearing counterfeit and infringing trademarks that are exact copies of the Chanel marks”.

Chanel added that the defendants’ actions will confuse consumers into believing that the goods are “associated with, and approved” by the company.

The fake goods are sold online and, according to the suit, are used to make the defendants’ e-commerce stores selling the illegal goods “appear more relevant and attractive to consumers online”.

Chanel added that the defendants have attributed false designations of origin and used the counterfeits to unfairly compete with the company.

The fashion business is asking for statutory damages of $2 million for each infringement, investigative fees associated with the action, attorneys’ fees and pre-judgment interest.