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Amazon and Asmodee file joint lawsuit against counterfeiters

By Kristopher Fraser

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Business

Image: Amazon

Amazon and Asmodee Group SAS jointly filed a lawsuit against two defendants for counterfeiting the popular and award-winning card game sets, Dixit: Daydreams Expansion and Dixit: Revelations Expansion. Asmodee Group is a leading board game publisher and distributor. The defendants, based in Brooklyn, New York, attempted to offer the counterfeit products in Amazon’s store, which violates Amazon’s policies, infringes on Asmodee’s trademarks, and breaks the law.

The lawsuit was filed in the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington. It alleges that the two defendants used Asmodee’s registered trademarks without authorization to deceive customers about the authenticity and origin of the products and create a false affiliation with Asmodee. Amazon closed the defendants’ selling account and proactively refunded the impacted customers.

“Amazon strives to be the Earth’s most customer-centric company and provide the world’s largest selection of authentic products, at low prices, and with convenient and fast delivery,” said Kebharu Smith, director of the counterfeit crimes unit at Amazon, in a statement. “We make significant investments in industry-leading, proactive controls leveraging advanced machine learning and expert investigators to ensure our store only contains authentic products for sale. If a counterfeiter attempts to take advantage of our customers or partners like Asmodee, our Counterfeit Crimes Unit will hold them accountable through civil litigation or criminal referral to law enforcement.”

Amazon strictly prohibits infringing and counterfeit products in its store, and in 2020, Amazon invested more than 700 million dollars and employed more than 10,000 people to proactively protect its store from fraud, counterfeit, and abuse. Amazon uses industry-leading tools to verify potential sellers’ identities and ensure product listings are authentic, and Amazon’s proprietary systems analyze hundreds of unique data points to verify information provided by potential sellers. In 2020, only 6 percent of attempted new seller account registrations passed Amazon’s robust verification processes and listed products for sale. In addition, fewer than 0.01 percent of all products sold on Amazon received a counterfeit complaint from customers.

In June 2020, Amazon launched its Counterfeit Crimes Unit, a global team dedicated to pursuing counterfeiters and holding them accountable to the fullest extent of the law, including by working through the court system and in partnership with law enforcement. Amazon has filed a series of lawsuits against counterfeiters, including a suit against individuals using social media to promote and facilitate the sale of counterfeits, as well as joint lawsuits with apparel manufacturer HanesBrands, Italian luxury brands Valentino and Ferragamo, cosmetics brand KF Beauty, family travel accessory brand JL Childress, cooler manufacturer YETI, and family-owned-and-operated card game company Dutch Blitz.

“The joint lawsuit with Amazon underlines how the protection of our brands is key for Asmodee,” said Céline Bucki, group legal director of Asmodee, in a statement. “We want to be sure that people will share the joy of playing with their families and friends, with high quality products, that respect creativity and innovation from our teams, and showcase our manufacturing and distribution partners’ quality standards.”

Founded in 1995, Asmodee is a leading games publisher and distributor with global blockbusters, including: A Game of Thrones: The Board Game; Ticket to Ride; Spot It!/Dobble; Pandemic; and CATAN. Asmodee products are sold internationally, including through Amazon.com. In July 2020, Asmodee acquired Libellud, which developed the award-winning storytelling game, “Dixit.” Children and adults alike enjoy using “Dixit” cards, which feature gorgeous, imaginative artwork, to create stories. There are now 10 “Dixit” companion expansion sets, such as “Daydreams” and “Revelations,” which allow players to supplement their “Dixit” game with additional story cards. The tenth “Dixit” expansion set recently launched, commemorating over a decade of success.

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