Melville, NY—On May 10th, Canon and Amazon jointly announced they have filed a trademark infringement lawsuit.
Canon and Amazon File Trademark Lawsuit
Canon USA Inc. and its parent company, Canon Inc. of Japan, along with Amazon.com, Inc., and Amazon.com Services LLC jointly filed the lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington. The suit was filed against 29 selling accounts that sold camera batteries and chargers in the Amazon store. Moreover, it alleges infringement of Canon’s trademark rights.
Sales of counterfeit goods on e-commerce websites are increasing in proportion to the growth of the e-commerce market. As a result, Canon and Amazon are collaborating in fighting against counterfeiters and protecting both of its customers. The joint lawsuit was filed as a part of that collaboration.
What’s more, Canon aggressively pursues counterfeiters in the U.S. and globally. It does so to protect its customers from fake and potentially unsafe products that unlawfully use the Canon name. The company also seeks to protect the value, reputation and loyalty that its brand has acquired over decades in producing quality, safe and reliable products.
Moreover, in the last few years, Canon’s investigation into counterfeiting uncovered a new shipping method that China-based sellers use to bring infringing goods into the United States. Instead of shipping the goods directly to consumers in the U.S., China-based sellers send their goods in bulk to large fulfillment warehouses located in the U.S. These warehouses then ship the infringing goods to American consumers. 
This method enabled China-based merchants to indirectly ship their counterfeit goods swiftly to American consumers. It also made it harder for branded manufacturers to track and prevent the flow of counterfeit goods.
In February 2022, Canon USA and its parent company, Canon Inc., successfully reached an agreement with one of China’s leading logistics and fulfillment companies. The dispute involved the warehousing and shipping of counterfeit camera batteries into the U.S. for China-based sellers. As part of the settlement, the fulfillment/shipping company agreed to cease distribution of infringing products to consumers in the U.S.
For more information about Canon’s anti-counterfeiting measures, please visit here. For more information about Amazon’s efforts to protect brands and customers, please visit here.
