This past Valentine’s Day, the famous jewelry corporation, Tiffany & Co., filed a suit against discount warehouse Costco Wholesale alleging that Costco knowingly and intentionally sold counterfeit Tiffany engagement rings.  Tiffany has registered trademarks which include Tiffany, Tiffany & Co., T & Co., and Tiffany Blue Box.  In its complaint, Tiffany and its licensor claim [...]

Luxury retailers are fighting back against increasingly sophisticated online counterfeiters, with some success. The ABA Journal reports that companies like Deckers Outdoor Corp., Hermes, and Burberry have crusaded to remove fake sites and some have won multimillion dollar judgments in court. Even though retailers may not be able to collect the full amount of the [...]

Recently, pictures of the wedding ring that Brad Pitt has designed for wife-to-be Angelina Jolie have been released.  Undoubtedly, replicas of such rings are soon to follow.  Kate Middleton’s sapphire ring has yielded many imitations and there is no reason to believe that Angelina’s ring will be any different.  Some have speculated that Brad may [...]

The U.S. International Trade Commission has ruled in favor of Louis Vuitton in a counterfeiting lawsuit after 15 months of investigation. Could this landmark ruling really mean the end to the fake bags on Canal street? Read more about it here, here, and here.

Put down that $40 “Kobe” burger. Slap those “Kobe” sliders out of your fellow bar patron’s hands. Scratch out the “Kobe” beef steak off that fancy Japanese restaurant menu with a Sharpie–and feel completely justified in doing so. According to this Forbes.com article, “Food’s Biggest Scam: The Great Kobe Beef Lie,” Americans have been duped [...]

The Southern District of New York has awarded True Religion a default judgment against 106 defendants operating 282 websites, mostly from China.  The defendants were found guilty of four counts of trademark counterfeiting as well as one count of copyright infringement.  Although this victory will allow True Religion to send a message to potential counterfeiters, [...]

“The Council of Fashion Designers of America and online retail powerhouse eBay have come together once again to protest counterfeit merchandise through their ‘You Can’t Fake Fashion’ campaign, the second round of which hits online next Tuesday.” But you can catch the sneak preview of the “You Can’t Fake Fashion” tote bags here.

On October 1, 2011, ICE began “Operation Fake Sweep,” a nationwide enforcement effort to stop the sale of counterfeit NFL-related goods.  Over $5 million worth of counterfeit Super Bowl merchandise was seized and over 300 infringing websites were shut down. Read more about it here and here.

“[T]here is a growing market in fake civet beans. One example widely peddled at outdoor markets is made with artificial fragrances that bear little resemblance to the drink’s actual bold taste. Larger coffee chains, however, produce a more sophisticated beverage using biotechnology, isolating an enzyme similar to that in the civet’s stomach that ferments the [...]

Although Warner Brothers may have settled the lawsuit with Mike Tyson’s tattoo artist over the use of Tyson’s tattoo in the movie, The Hangover Part II, they are now facing a new lawsuit from Louis Vuitton.  Perhaps, you remember Zach Galifianakis’s line, “Careful, that is a Louis Vuitton,” in the movie.  Turns out that executives [...]