Stalking Social Media: The Rise in Counterfeit Products and Intellectual Property Concerns

On July 12, 2019, Chanel filed a lawsuit in the United States naming multiple domains for infringement of its trademark and offering counterfeit products. The domains named in the suit are 8replicachanel.com, buyreplicasonline.com, and shoppinghandbags.top. Chanel asserts that their business suffers “daily and sustained abuse of its trademark rights at the hands of counterfeiters” and requests the court to cancel the domains and compensate Chanel for the loss of profits resulting from the infringing activity. This suit is one of many examples of the growing trend of popular internet platforms selling and advertising counterfeit products.