Apple Files $2M+ Lawsuit Against Counterfeiter, Finds 90% of 'Genuine' Accessories on Amazon Are Knockoffs

[Solomani]

Amazon is starting to look like Ali Baba, the Chinese online shopping website where so many items are cheap (counterfeit) junk made in China. So many of Ali Baba's products are knock-offs of American and European designer brands.

Ali Baba founder and CEO Jack Ma already faced a lawsuit because of Ali Baba's "fake products" reputation. I'm sure he did nothing to correct the situation, he could care less as he (Jack Ma) is already a multi-billionaire.

There are tons of news articles about the numerous lawsuits against Ali Baba counterfeits. I linked one below. Maybe Amazon wants to be the next Ali Bobo.

Alibaba sued in U.S. by luxury brands over counterfeit goods

 

[Hayden m]

I wonder if Apple knows that not everyone enjoys spending $30 on a cable that will last a little bit longer than the knock off. If you create an overpriced garbage product, you instantly create a market for the same garbage, but cheaper.

These expensive knock offs are a bit different though, but honestly, was the authentic even going to last that long anyways?

 

[kdarling]

I wonder if Apple knows that not everyone enjoys spending $30 on a cable that will last a little bit longer than the knock off. If you create an overpriced garbage product, you instantly create a market for the same garbage, but cheaper.

Yep, Apple knows this.

When there was a spate of iPhones burning up in China a couple of years ago, from people using third party chargers and cables, Apple offered their own official chargers for half price.

Not sure if they kept that lower price in China. Anyone know? It'd be a bit ironic if only the Chinese got a deal on official chargers and cables, while the rest of us have tired of overpaying so much and now buy Chinese knock offs!

 

[omgitsbees]

It seems like Apple should sue Amazon if Amazon is allowing these sellers to pretend that they're official Apple products.

It is very difficult for Amazon to prevent this sort of thing. Documentation that "proves" you are selling legit products are very easy to fake. The nature of how online retail works means that you can't put a stop to it until the fake products already arrive at Amazon's fulfillment centers. Amazon has processes in place to weed out a lot of the fake products before they ever reach a shelf and go on sale, and Amazon has been working on new ways to combat this issue faster and more accurately.

 

[deconstruct60]

It is very difficult for Amazon to prevent this sort of thing. Documentation that "proves" you are selling legit products are very easy to fake.

Not really if Amazon did what customers on their website are try to do. If Amazon only bought supplies from certified Apple Distributors then there should be a much higher probability that are getting product flow directly from Apple's supply chain.

If you buy random overstock from Bubba Chan. with no certified affiliation with Apple ... then no.

In short, stop buying from random people who say they have a hot deal if you will cover up who this is flow is coming from.

The nature of how online retail works means that you can't put a stop to it until the fake products already arrive at Amazon's fulfillment centers.

If Apple wanted to help squash then they could do online checks. If Apple ships 10,000 parts to a certified distribution and Amazon makes a query about taking 15,000 parts from that distribution there is a very high likelihood that the parts are not genuine because Apple never game them that many in the first place.

Lot numbers and tracking could be put on this stuff. Apple tracks all of their stuff shipped. Apple has highly quantitatively driven supply chain tracking. Tap into that data and extend the tracking coverage and this should not be a 90% fraud product problem.

Apple and Amazon need to get off the lazy and try to fix this. Suing gives lawyers work.... giving lawyers work doesn't solve root cause problems.

and Amazon has been working on new ways to combat this issue faster and more accurately.

at a 90% fail rate the quality control in addition to the procurement process are pretty bad. If can't measure quality in the fiist place then how are they going to know they have fixes to the process ?

 

[chat2ian]

Good Job Apple!
This is bad for consumers of course, but it's also good for decent Amazon sellers who can't make a profit on their products because of all the fake Chinese crap that unscrupulous sellers claim is genuine.

 

[tbrinkma]

What kind of person would buy these in the first place...QUOTE]

People who see the item advertised as being genuine apple products. That's what counterfeiting is. Passing something fake off as something genuine. It's not like the sellers are advertising their fake junk *as* fake junk. If they were, the only problem Apple might have is the trade dress issues of the fake junk being constructed to outwardly *look* like Apple products.

[doublepost=1477072317][/doublepost]

Not really if Amazon did what customers on their website are try to do. If Amazon only bought supplies from certified Apple Distributors then there should be a much higher probability that are getting product flow directly from Apple's supply chain.

If you buy random overstock from Bubba Chan. with no certified affiliation with Apple ... then no.

In short, stop buying from random people who say they have a hot deal if you will cover up who this is flow is coming from.

Sounds like you don't understand what 'Fulfillment by Amazon' actually is. 'FbA' allows a seller to use Amazon as a warehouse and distribution center. When a seller uses 'FbA', they buy their own goods, ship them *to* the Amazon warehouse, and Amazon picks the products off their shelves, boxes them up, and ships them out to the customer. Amazon isn't buying anything in that scenario.

at a 90% fail rate the quality control in addition to the procurement process are pretty bad. If can't measure quality in the fiist place then how are they going to know they have fixes to the process ?

Again, Amazon isn't going through a 'procurement process', the seller is. And when a seller is selling counterfeit goods, they generally don't *care* about the quality of those goods.

 

[butterburger cookybutter]

The refund process went fine, but there was no way I could find in the Amazon system to report that the vendor seemed to be shipping electrically questionable items ... all the links led you in circles to the FAQ and back to the automated question-answer search.

Been there, I feel for you. Indeed, there is no choice in drop-down list which matches "this item is counterfeit". IIRC, what worked was choosing "item not what I expected" or similar, which makes it sound like it was just cold-feet or buyer's remorse. Then typed in comment box "I received a counterfeit". Purchase was refunded without return of merchandise.

 

[omgitsbees]

Not really if Amazon did what customers on their website are try to do. If Amazon only bought supplies from certified Apple Distributors then there should be a much higher probability that are getting product flow directly from Apple's supply chain.

We are not talking about Amazon directly. We are talking about FBA, which is 3rd party companies selling products through Amazon. It's completely different. Amazon has their own retail front end and it's not experiencing these issues.

 

[baypharm]

Fleabay should be sued as well. Too many fako products there, too

 

[deconstruct60]

[doublepost=1477072317][/doublepost]

Sounds like you don't understand what 'Fulfillment by Amazon' actually is. 'FbA' allows a seller to use Amazon as a warehouse and distribution center.

No, go back and actually read the images on the first article. This stuff is labeled "Sold and shipped from Amazon". Not "Sold by Bubba and fulfilled by Amazon".

Go back to post #31....

https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...on-are-knockoffs.2007910/page-2#post-23747695

When a seller uses 'FbA', they buy their own goods, ship them *to* the Amazon warehouse, and Amazon picks the products off their shelves, boxes them up, and ships them out to the customer. Amazon isn't buying anything in that scenario.

If Amazon is super lazy and cheap then if two vendors are both supposedly selling the same item they might (on the cheap) use the same "bucket" to store the items as Amazon uses. So when Amazon buys adapters they throw them in the official charger bucket. And when Bubba sends what is supposedly the same device Amazon lazily throws them in the same bucket. That allows forgeries to flow into the bucket to flow out under Amazon's name. It probably saves Amazon money but there is no good reason why they should trust some of these sleazy folks. ( saves money on space. One location in warehouse and probably makes it easier to quickly buy overstock from vendors if Amazon is selling at a faster pace then the other vendor. Gray market hocus pocus too when there are currency fluctuations and Amazon can shave some percentage off with a higher dollar. )


Amazon can play the "we've been duped also" line, but they never should have been commingled in the first place.
[doublepost=1477156035][/doublepost]

We are not talking about Amazon directly.

Pictures on 1st article says otherwise. Commingling in Amazon's warehouses is a problem.

 

[Tech198]

Amazon is a good company, that is until news breaks out

 

[Steve121178]

When's Apple going to sue themselves for their poorly made cables? I haven't had a single iOS device cable last more then a year.

What the hell are you doing with your cables?

 

[jrbdmb]

Amazon tells MacRumors it has "zero tolerance for the sale of counterfeits" on its website.

Coulda fooled me. Amazon is overrun with outright counterfeits and illegal knockoffs of many copyrighted / patented products. For example, a search of "Apple Lightning Cable" yields 141,935 results. In the first page of results, most of the cables are from no-name companies, and the two "Apple" cables listed are apparently counterfeit.

The only cables I would trust are the AmazonBasics and I guess Anker. And the only place I'd buy a "genuine Apple cable" is at an Apple store.

 

[praetorian909]

What are some things you look for to compare the packaging? I have all the old packaging but don't have any ones directly from Apple to compare. It even had the orange string pull-tab and everything.

Sorry I tried to check my phone and couldn't find the photos. Lemme find them. It was subtle but "didn't look right." Unfortunately I didn't open the boxes though (cuz I didn't want to be stuck with them).

 

[tennisproha]

Sorry I tried to check my phone and couldn't find the photos. Lemme find them. It was subtle but "didn't look right." Unfortunately I didn't open the boxes though (cuz I didn't want to be stuck with them).

Okay. Thanks for looking into it.

 

[Nick11Mac]

"Apple has filed a lawsuit against Mobile Star LLC, accusing the firm of infringing upon its registered trademarks and copyrights by selling counterfeit 5W USB Power Adapters and Lightning to USB cables on Amazon and Groupon, according to court documents published electronically this week."

Hopefully, the cost of defending such a lawsuit will deter other counterfeiters.

 

[Floris]

"Apple has filed a lawsuit against Mobile Star LLC, accusing the firm of infringing upon its registered trademarks and copyrights by selling counterfeit 5W USB Power Adapters and Lightning to USB cables on Amazon and Groupon, according to court documents published electronically this week."

Hopefully, the cost of defending such a lawsuit will deter other counterfeiters.

There is a really big Dutch web site that's ala Amazon here. I can get original apple earbuds for 10 and 15 bucks, which is really appealing. Every time I ask "are these actually original completely new, still in package apple earbuds? as if i would buy them from apple.nl themselves?" They always answer yes. I have yet to find 1 original. They all are sent back every time. I have stopped buying them from anywhere but apple.nl - I rather pay the apple tax and get the guarantee i am not listening to some poor quality hissing audio with risk of ruining my ears during spilkes, and that they feel right, no sharp edges, etc. I always report these scammers, even though they are well known companies that work together selling their stuff through this dutch amazon site. Nothing ever gets done. Because nobody sues them over 10 euro counterfeits.

 

[cnairn]

That Amazon is full of fakes maybe the best story yet to unfold. I suspected this all along but don't have time to prove it. Early this year i bought 3 relatively cheaper GE "motion detecting sensor" lighting from Amazon to save electricity bills. None of them ever worked as it promised for more than 3 days! Two did not work from day one. THis is supposed to be made by GE! (though in China! and maybe that's why). I suspected it was fake and wrote a comment on Amazon. The company never said anything. Months later, i couldn't find the same product on amazon. So what Amazon does is to keep it quiet when someone raises questions, do not comment on it and maybe quietly take it away. And it'll probably surface as another company on Amazon doing the same thing to others. Absolutely frustrating! Someone needs to file suit on Amazon! And in the meantime, folks are accusing Alibaba of selling fakes! While Amazon is doing the same thing (though on a smaller scale I assume). Who acts for the consumer? Who?

Sure as hell not Amazon. And why on earth not? Doesn't Amazon/Jeff Bezoes care about their/his reputation? The Amazon attitude towards fakes is a TOTAL mystery to me.