E-Commerce Sellers Sued by General Motors | Trademark Infringement Allegations
General Motors has filed a trademark infringement lawsuit to combat counterfeit sales. Many online sellers will be affected by this action for selling General Motors branded products! There’s definitely reason to feel frustrated by the fact of this lawsuit, but don’t accept defeat before taking action of your own. Stockman & Poropat, PLLC is an award-winning law firm that has handled a myriad of infringement cases for sellers all over the world. We know e-commerce and we can help!
As a Defendant in the General Motors trademark action, you might want to explore your options. In terms of direct settlements, affected sellers are for sure allowed to negotiate with the Plaintiff directly. What sellers should know is that these direct settlements are usually not favorable for the sellers themselves. In the majority of instances, e-commerce operators who negotiate with companies like General Motors lose money. Our firm doesn’t want to see that happen!
What’s General Motors Alleging Sellers Did?
What’re some of the things that General Motors says sellers did? How did they engage in counterfeiting? Why’re multiple sellers being sued in one action? To best answer these questions and others you may have, we’ll turn to the legal complaint. The complaint contains the full breadth of the trademark infringement allegations. A few excerpts:
Defendants also deceive unknowing consumers by using one or more GM Trademarks without authorization within the content, text, and/or meta-tags of their e-commerce stores to attract various search engines crawling the Internet looking for websites relevant to consumer searches for GM Products.
Other e-commerce stores operating under Seller Aliases omit using GM Trademarks in the item title to evade enforcement efforts while using strategic item titles and descriptions that will trigger their listings when consumers are searching for GM Products.
E-commerce store operators like Defendants regularly register or acquire new seller aliases for the purpose of offering for sale and selling Counterfeit GM Products. Such seller alias registration patterns are one of many common tactics used by e-commerce store operators like Defendants to conceal their identities, the full scope and interworking of their counterfeiting operation, and to avoid being shut down.
Without a Doubt, Sellers Should Respond! | General Motors Counterfeit and Trademark Infringement
Without a doubt, sellers should provide a response to the General Motors lawsuit. Those Defendants who don’t will risk a Default Judgment. That could mean further financial loss and/or a decision by the court that can’t be overturned. Submitting a timely response is the first step to protecting your business and it’s relatively straightforward. There’s no need to willfully subject you and your e-commerce operation to any additional strain. And, Stockman & Poropat, PLLC will be there all the way to guide you from this first step to resolution!
What’s really going to impact the named sellers in the General Motors lawsuit is the temporary restraining order. This restraining order will freeze the sellers’ accounts, across marketplaces, and affect the funds in those accounts. You’ll not have access to revenue generated via the sale of General Motors branded goods. The Plaintiff is doing all of this to prevent further damage to their brand and revenue loss. For a portion of the Defendants, the temporary restraining order could thrust them close to bankruptcy. Our firm surely hopes that isn’t the situation, but needless to say the General Motors counterfeit lawsuit is a serious matter. As such, it requires serious action. That’s where Stockman & Poropat, PLLC comes in.
Stockman & Poropat, PLLC Can Develop a Legal Strategy For You
Indeed, as seen in the legal complaint, the content of the lawsuit is rooted in allegations. The fairness of such a drastic action as a restraining order, based on said allegations, is debatable. Yet, the named sellers will be held accountable for them. In essence, General Motors has alleged that a group of sellers formed a network with the express purpose of selling counterfeit products. Do each of the sellers know each other as General Motors says they do? That’s to be determined, as is the amount of responsibility each seller has to the complete set of allegations. Our firm is here to use all of that information to develop a successful and practical legal strategy.
Stockman & Poropat, PLLC is run by a team of award-winning attorneys who have an astounding amount of experience in e-commerce and infringement issues. Our team is friendly as well as incredibly knowledgeable, and we want our clients to know they’re aligned with the right firm. Whatever concerns or inquiries you may have, we want to know about them! Our firm is passionate about helping e-commerce sellers find positive outcomes in infringement cases. Our sole aim is to protect you and your business!
Take the General Motors Lawsuit Seriously and Take Action
Being sued by General Motors over allegations of counterfeiting is not something to ignore. Any Defendant who doesn’t respond to the lawsuit is making their business vulnerable. In order to ensure you can get back up and operating as normal as soon as possible, you’ll want to take action in the legal sense yourself. Of course, we know that being named in a trademark infringement lawsuit can be challenging and take a toll. Stockman & Poropat, PLLC is here to stand by your side until a resolution is reached.
Contact our team at Stockman & Poropat, PLLC today for a free initial consultation!
Download the legal complaint below:
Up next you can read about how the world-famous street wear brand Supreme Filed a Trademark and Counterfeit Action Against Online Sellers.
