Epson, Amazon to Put a Stop to Counterfeit Ink Bottle Sellers

Epson announced that Epson America, Inc. and Seiko Epson Corp. filed a joint complaint with Amazon against a range of defendants engaged in the unlawful and expressly prohibited sale of counterfeit Epson-branded ink bottles that infringe on the registered trademarks of Seiko Epson Corporation and Epson America.

Epson has taken this action to permanently prevent defendants from selling counterfeit Epson ink bottles, and to protect Epson’s customers, brand reputation, intellectual property (IP) rights, and legitimate resellers of Epson ink.

The complaint was filed jointly on May 6, 2024 and alleges the defendants, among other claims, infringed and misused Epson’s IP; willfully deceived and harmed Epson and their customers; and undermined the trust that customers place in Epson-branded products sold in the Amazon store.

“The joint lawsuit with Amazon underscores Epson’s ongoing enforcement against infringing sellers of Epson ink cartridges, ink bottles, and other consumables,” said Jilana Miller, assistant general counsel, Epson America. “From obtaining General Exclusion Orders in the ITC, to raids and seizures of counterfeit products and regular enforcement through online marketplaces, Epson employs a broad range of efforts to address patent and trademark infringement in the market. We applaud Amazon’s ongoing measures to prevent counterfeit products from being listed and its dedicated actions to remove the counterfeit listings, block relevant accounts and proactively work with affected customers.”

“Amazon has a zero-tolerance policy for counterfeit products and collaborated with the Epson team on this joint lawsuit to have a direct impact on these bad actors and permanently prevent them from selling counterfeits,” said Kebharu Smith, director of Amazon’s Counterfeit Crimes Unit (CCU). “Amazon will continue to work to protect customers, brands, selling partners, and our store from fraud and abuse. We are grateful for the collaboration with Epson as we work toward a shared goal of eliminating counterfeits and holding bad actors accountable.”