Gucci and Facebook File Joint Lawsuit Against Alleged Online Counterfeiter
Samantha McDonald
Business Editor
Gucci America Inc. and Facebook Inc. are teaming up to take on fakes.
The luxury fashion house and social networking giant have filed a joint lawsuit in the United States District Court in the Northern District of California against an alleged online counterfeiter. The companies are claiming breach of contract through violations of the platform’s terms as well as the infringement of the brand’s intellectual property rights.
According to the companies, the individual, who was not identified in the statement, used multiple Facebook and Instagram accounts to promote the sale of fraudulent Gucci products. They added that the lawsuit was the first of its kind for both Facebook and Gucci — the latest example of a tech behemoth and luxury label joining forces to combat counterfeits.
“Cross-industry collaboration with brands like Gucci is critical to this type of enforcement action and to Facebook’s broader efforts to tackle counterfeits on its services,” Facebook director of platform enforcement and litigation Jessica Romero and IP director and associate general counsel Mark Fiore wrote in a post on the website’s newsroom.
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They added, “This lawsuit is a clear signal to those who would seek to engage in similar abuses that this behavior will not be tolerated. Facebook and Gucci plan to continue their enforcement efforts against counterfeiting and hold those who abuse Facebook and Instagram accountable.”
In the statement, Facebook shared that it has implemented IP protection measures such as a global notice-and-takedown program and repeat infringement policy for its namesake platform as well as Instagram. FN has reached out to Gucci and Facebook for further comment.
A few months ago, Amazon.com Inc. and Salvatore Ferragamo SpA jointly sued four individuals and three entities over allegedly counterfeit products. Filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, the lawsuit claimed that the defendants used Ferragamo’s registered trademarks without authorization and offered the allegedly infringing items on Amazon’s website, which the e-tailer said violated its policies as well as the fashion brand’s intellectual property rights.
