Amazon sues social media influencers for promotion of counterfeit goods on social media platforms

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Amazon sues social media influencers for promotion of counterfeit goods on social media platforms

By Sonal Sinha

While social media can be a formidable tool for brand marketing and promotion, there can be downsides as well. Recently, Amazon had filed a joint lawsuit in the U.S District Court, Western District of Washington against 13 defendants, including two social media influencers, Kelly Fitzpatrick and Sabrina Kelly-Krejci. Amazon has alleged that they have been advertising and promoting the sale of counterfeit luxury good on the Amazon’s online marketplace. This is in violation of the policies of the company and the law.

NEWS

By Sonal Sinha

It has been alleged that the two influencers had been conspiring with the sellers, by posting promotional content about the counterfeiting products on their social media handles such as Instagram and TikTok, and trying to evade Amazon policies. It was Amazon’s claim that the influencers had engaged in ‘sophisticated campaign of false advertising’. In their campaigns, the influencers had posted pictures of generic, nonbranded products and counterfeit products side by side with the caption, “Order This, Get This”. The former “order this” referred to the generic product, while the latter “get this” referred to the counterfeit. 

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NEWS

By Sonal Sinha

The plaintiff, Amazon has claimed that by doing this, the defendants promoted the counterfeit products stating them to be of a higher quality. Amazon has previously removed Fitzpatrick and blocked Kelly-Krejci’s campaigns as well, in relation to promotion of counterfeit products. This lawsuit is a part of series of joint lawsuits filed by Amazon against several other individuals for sale of counterfeits. Previously, Amazon has collaborated with Italian luxury fashion house Valentino, cosmetics retailer KF Beauty, and seller of travel products for parents JL Childress, in anti-counterfeit lawsuits.

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