Canon filed a lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois against 52 sellers who sell counterfeit Canon products (camera batteries, inkjet printer printheads, etc.) on U.S. e-commerce websites, alleging infringement of Canon’s trademark rights.
After the commencement of the lawsuit, about half of the defendants acknowledged the validity and enforceability of Canon’s trademarks and agreed to immediately cease and desist from selling counterfeit products.
The remaining defendants did not contest Canon’s claims in court, and in September, 2022, the court issued a judgment ordering them to cease the infringing acts, ruling in favour of Canon.
Sales in the global e-commerce market have increased significantly, partly due to the spread of COVID-19, and counterfeit goods are frequently trafficked through cross-border e-commerce. The lawsuit is a countermeasure to this situation and was filed at once against multiple non-U.S. retailers selling counterfeit goods on U.S. e-commerce websites.
Canon said in its announcement: “Counterfeit products are damaging to the brand. They cannot be overlooked because they can cause economic losses such as malfunctions and quality defects, and even pose the risk of physical harm to our customers who purchased products with trust in the Canon brand. Canon will continue to take strict action to eradicate counterfeits.”
