Amazon and BMW Secure Victory for Lawsuit Against Counterfeiters in Spain

Feb 09, 2024 01:26 AM EST

AMAZON CONCRETE BUILDING DURING NIGHT TIME — (Photo : PEXELS/JOSHUA BROWN)

In Spain, Amazon and BMW have secured a legal victory against four vendors selling fake BMW products, as confirmed by the statement published on the U.S. online retailer's website.

BMW partnered with Amazon in a civil case aimed to stop the distribution of counterfeit BMW components and accessories. As a result of this joint effort, they successfully prevented the sale of counterfeit goods. The European Union Trademark Court in Alicante, Spain, decided on the case.

Amazon and BMW's Victory

Amazon and BMW pinpointed a group accused of peddling counterfeit BMW items, including tire valve caps, emblems, and keychains featuring the German automaker's logo, on Amazon's platforms. According to a report by Reuters, they initiated legal proceedings against these individuals in the Spanish Community Trade Mark Court, situated in Alicante, Spain, responsible for upholding European Union regulations.

While Amazon has intensified its efforts to combat counterfeiters across its various marketplace platforms in response to legal challenges and critiques from luxury brands, it refrained from disclosing specific penalties imposed in this instance.

The Court's Decision

As per DPA International's report, the court mandated the perpetrators to destroy the counterfeit merchandise and provide compensation to the plaintiffs as part of the ruling. This marks the inaugural courtroom triumph in Spain for Amazon's Counterfeit Crimes Unit (CCU) and the BMW Group.

In the civil proceedings, the four individuals were found guilty of infringing laws, contravening Amazon's policies, and disregarding the BMW Group's registered trademarks through their endeavor to market counterfeit goods like valve caps, badges, and keychains. Additionally, the court discovered that the individuals had submitted fraudulent proofs of origin as part of their scheme.

Amazon disclosed that it identified the suspicious activities through advanced machine learning technology and collaborated with BMW to validate the counterfeit nature of the products in question.

As reported in the Austrian newspaper Kronen Zeitung, data provided by the EU Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO/Alicante) in January underscores the significant economic impact of product counterfeiting. These statistics reveal that European clothing, cosmetics, and toy manufacturers suffer an estimated annual loss of approximately 16 billion euros in sales due to counterfeit products.

Furthermore, about 200,000 jobs are jeopardized as a consequence of this fraudulent activity. Notably, the internet serves as a crucial avenue for the distribution of such counterfeit goods.

Amazon has affirmed its commitment to addressing the issue with utmost seriousness. Kebharu Smith, the head of the CCU, stated, "Amazon maintains a strict stance against counterfeit items and is dedicated to spearheading efforts to combat counterfeiters regardless of their location.

Amazon's Response to Counterfeiters

Amazon has taken proactive measures against counterfeiters. In 2021, NBC News shared a report by The Associated Press. The news indicated that Amazon prevented the sale of 10 billion suspected counterfeit products on 2020 before anyone could buy them. This action is in response to mounting pressure from consumers, brands, and legislators to address counterfeit products on its platform. These figures mark the release of Amazon's initial report on its anti-counterfeiting endeavors since the introduction of new tools and technologies in 2019.