US-based sunglasses manufacturer Maui Jim has filed a lawsuit against the operators of online retailer SmartBuyGlasses.com over alleged trademark violation.
The case was filed in the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois in Chicago.
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Maui Jim claimed that the online retailer is in violation of trademark, copyright and unfair competition laws through its sale of counterfeit and non-genuine Maui Jim-branded sunglasses and unauthorised use of Maui Jim's trademarks and copyrighted photography.
Maui Jim global marketing vice-president Jay Black said: “Companies that utilise these types of disingenuous and misleading sales practices undermine the integrity of the Maui Jim brand and the quality and technology it has come to represent.
"This lawsuit was filed to protect our brand and the inherent value of its earned reputation, as well as our customers and our authorised retailers.
“We simply cannot allow our brand to be harmed by the sale of counterfeit or non-genuine Maui Jim products that do not live up to our, and most importantly, our customers' expectations."
Smartbuy Guru Enterprises (Cayman Islands), Motion Global (Hong Kong), Smartbuyglasses Società a Responsabilità Limitata (Italy) and Smartbuyglasses Optical (Hong Kong) are the defendants named in the lawsuit.
The complaint details the commercial and legal impact of these actions, including the inability of Maui Jim to control the quality of sunglasses being sold under the Maui Jim brand by SmartBuyGlasses.
In the lawsuit, Maui Jim sought SmartBuyGlasses to stop selling the sunglasses under the Maui Jim trademark, as well as discontinue the use of Maui Jim-copyrighted photography.
The lawsuit also sought financial relief caused by SmartBuyGlasses' legal violations.
