Amazon faced similar allegations in London by Lifestyle Equities in 2019. Last year, Amazon lost an appeal against a ruling that it had infringed UK trademarks by targeting British consumers on its U.S. website.
In 2021, a Reuters investigation
based on thousands of internal Amazon documents, found the U.S. company ran a systematic campaign of creating knockoffs and manipulating search results to boost its own private brands in India.
Praveen Khandelwal, a lawmaker from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party, told Reuters on Thursday the Indian government must take action against Amazon for its “predatory” business practices.
“The court’s decision underscores the critical need for e-commerce platforms to enforce stringent trademark compliance,” said Khandelwal, who is also the secretary general of the Confederation of All India Traders which has opposed Amazon’s business practices.
Trademark infringement case
- In 2020, Lifestyle Equities sued Amazon for infringing on its “Beverly Hills Polo Club” trademark.Â
Amazon was accused of selling products under the brand “Symbol” with a similar mark. The Delhi High Court ordered Amazon to pay $39 million in damages to Lifestyle Equities. The court also granted an interim injunction to stop Amazon from using the infringing logo.
Antitrust case
- In September 2023, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and 17 state attorneys general sued Amazon.
- The lawsuit alleges that Amazon has a monopoly and uses unfair practices to maintain it.
- The FTC and states claim that Amazon’s actions:
- Stop competitors from lowering prices
- Degrade quality for shoppers
- Overcharge sellers
- Stifle innovation
- Prevent competitors from competing fairly
The FTC and states say that Amazon’s actions have harmed third-party sellers and made it hard for other e-commerce platforms to compete
