Beatles trademark owner sues vendors for counterfeit merch
When it comes to counterfeit goods, the Beatles will no longer let it be.
Apple Corps, the owner of the trademarks of the Fab Four, has filed a $100 million lawsuit against 50 online vendors for allegedly selling merchandise with its “Beatles” and “Yellow Submarine” trademarks without permission.
The suit hopes to get back $2 million from each company.
The counterfeit trademarks were plastered on a host of products — ranging from onesies to tank tops — that created plenty of market helter skelter, according to the suit.
The goods are sold on the sellers’ e-commerce sites or on such marketplace sites as AliExpress.com, Amazon.com, Bonanza.com, eBay.com, and Etsy.com, the suit contends.
All across the universe the quality of Beatles-sanctioned merchandise is much better than the counterfeit goods, the suit claims.
“The natural and intended byproduct of defendants’ actions is the erosion and destruction of the goodwill associated with plaintiffs’ respective famous names and trademarks and the destruction of the legitimate market sector in which they operate,” the suit, filed in a federal court in Florida, said.
Scott Slavick, an IP lawyer with Barack Ferrazzano in Chicago, told The Post it is a usual day in the life of trademark lawyer to have a single action that targets counterfeiters by the dozens.
“Only the legit ones respond — but the others might see it as a deterrent,” he said. “They might think, ‘Since the Beatles are such strong trademark owners, let’s go pick on someone else.’”
Slavick said the amount Apple Corps is seeking from each company is aggressively high.