In its ongoing assault against online counterfeiters, Tiffany & Co. is suing several China companies for selling copied versions of its jeweler and misrepresenting its brand, according to a report in the U.K.-based trade publication, Professional Jeweller.
The luxury retail jeweler has filed a lawsuit against Alice Don, Alice Huang, Fiona Jones, and four other China-based defendants, all of whom Tiffany claims are behind sites retailing counterfeit Tiffany-branded jewelry. They include domain names Tiffanyinthebox.com, tiffany4girls.com and pandoraoutlets.com., according to the report.
The suit filed by Tiffany in New York is claiming trademark infringement, trademark counterfeiting, false designation of origin, trademark dilution, and unfair competition, according to the report.
The New York-based company, in its complaint, reportedly says the websites sell counterfeit versions of its merchandise, which “not only copy the designs, patterns, and color schemes associated with Tiffany products, but also expressly identify the counterfeit products as ‘Tiffany’ and make unauthorized use of the trademark Tiffany name.”
According to the report, the defendants admit that the counterfeit products they offer for sale are not authentic, but are instead marketed as replica and less expensive versions of Tiffany jewelry.
Tiffany is asking the US court to ban the sites from selling counterfeit items while transferring their ownership to Tiffany, according to the report. The company is also asking for monetary damages.
In December 2010, Tiffany filed suit against three Chinese nationals and other unnamed defendants for operating 44 websites that offer counterfeit Tiffany products.