Another batch of Amazon hot products are accused of copyright infringement! Sellers, please avoid it!

Infringement has always been an unavoidable topic in the cross-border e-commerce circle, especially for Amazon sellers, who may become defendants if they are not careful.

Recently, product infringement has ushered in an outbreak period. A number of Amazon's hot-selling products have been sued for infringement of appearance patents and invention patents. The case was filed by a law firm commissioned by Chinese sellers. The editor has sorted it out. Sellers who sell similar products need to check and remove them as soon as possible to avoid account abnormalities.

1. Kang Yang Memory Foam Pillow

On July 21, the appearance patent infringement case entrusted to Aptum Law by domestic seller Kang Yang was officially accepted in Illinois, USA, with the case number 24-cv-06137.

The two products involved in the case are memory foam pillows, which can not only support the neck, but can also be used for the waist and back, and are very popular among consumers in the market.

The patent numbers of these two pillows are D1031317 (X-shaped pillow) and D1031318 (butterfly-shaped pillow), both of which were issued on June 18, 2024. It is reported that if other sellers' design concepts are similar to theirs, it will constitute infringement, so sellers should try to conduct comprehensive infringement detection on their products as often as possible during the sales process.

2. Walking aids

The plaintiff in this case is also a Chinese seller. The brand owner Yu Chen commissioned Lance Liu Law Firm to file a lawsuit on July 21 for infringement of the appearance patent.

The product involved in the case is a walking aid, which is made of a lightweight aluminum frame and is equipped with a height-adjustable button to facilitate use by people of different heights.

Its patent number is D988941, the application date is October 8, 2019, and the certificate date is June 13, 2023. At present, the plaintiff has not filed a TRO with the court, which is expected to be initiated within 1-2 weeks. Sellers need to urgently remove similar products from their stores to avoid risks.

3. Electric Mason Jar Sealer

This case is an invention patent protection case initiated by Shanghai Xinqi Electronic Technology Co., LTD., a Chinese technology company, on July 19, with the case number 24-cv-06137.

Its product, the multifunctional Mason jar sealing device, has a patent number of US11981555B2. It can quickly exhaust the air in the jar by vacuuming, thus extending the shelf life of food and meeting the needs of most people.

It must be noted that selling similar products without authorization may constitute infringement.

In addition, a patent protection case involving more than 800 Amazon stores has also spread across the cross-border circle. The plaintiff is Lovitedo, LLC, a big seller of luggage pulley covers. Because its best-selling luggage pulley cover (patent number US D1003604S) has been widely copied and counterfeited, Lovitedo filed an infringement lawsuit in the US court.

There are also countless infringement cases involving patent infringements on the appearance of riding suitcases and plush toys, and these cases even happen again every once in a while.

Therefore, all major sellers should take this as a lesson. When selecting products on a daily basis, they must understand the product patents in advance and conduct careful investigations to prevent themselves from accidentally falling into the "infringement trap". At the same time, they should also strengthen their awareness of self-protection during the business operation. If the account is frozen or a huge amount of compensation is incurred due to infringement, it can be said that the gain is not worth the loss.