Fear of God Goes After Alleged Counterfeit Sites – WWD

Worry of God is taking goal at alleged counterfeit web sites that it claims are deploying strategies to throw manufacturers and enforcers off their path. 

In a trademark and counterfeit swimsuit filed this month in federal court docket in Illinois, the posh attire model focused numerous web sites that Worry of God claimed function in China, and whose working names it indicated solely in a sealed doc filed within the court docket. The grievance alleges that the web sites mimic the looks of wholesale and different professional resale web sites to promote alleged counterfeits and merchandise infringing the Worry of God emblems. 

The e-commerce websites additionally use methods to hide their actual identities, together with through the use of a number of profiles and falsely utilizing the Worry of God identify on their websites, the swimsuit claimed. On the back-end, they use off-shore accounts to maintain income out of attain of lawsuits and legislation enforcement within the U.S., in keeping with the grievance. 

“Ways utilized by defendants to hide their identities and the complete scope of their operation make it just about not possible for plaintiff to study defendants’ true identities and the precise interworking of their counterfeit community,” the grievance stated. “If defendants present extra credible data concerning their identities, plaintiff will take applicable steps to amend the grievance.

“Counterfeiters resembling defendants sometimes function below a number of vendor aliases and cost accounts in order that they will proceed operation despite plaintiff’s enforcement efforts,” the grievance stated. “On data and perception, defendants keep off-shore financial institution accounts and frequently transfer funds from their monetary accounts to off-shore financial institution accounts outdoors the jurisdiction of this court docket to keep away from cost of any financial judgment awarded to plaintiff.”  

The swimsuit makes claims for trademark infringement and counterfeiting, and for false designation of origin, for allegedly deceptive clients concerning the authenticity of alleged counterfeit Worry of God attire. 

Along with the grievance, the corporate requested the court docket to grant a brief restraining order to halt the sale and import of the merchandise. 

“The entry of a [temporary restraining order] is suitable as a result of it could instantly cease the defendants from benefiting from their wrongful use of the Worry of God emblems and protect the established order till a listening to may be held,” the corporate stated in a submitting. 

“Within the absence of a [temporary restraining order] with out discover, the defendants can and sure will register new e-commerce shops below new aliases and transfer any property to off-shore financial institution accounts outdoors the jurisdiction of this court docket,” the corporate wrote. 

Worry of God was based in 2013 by Jerry Lorenzo and has turn out to be a notable luxurious streetwear and equipment model worn by celebrities, the corporate stated.