Harry Styles is going after online sellers of counterfeit merch.
Lawyers for the pop star filed a lawsuit Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois alleging that his intellectual property rights are being violated.
“This action has been filed by plaintiff to combat e-commerce store operators who trade upon plaintiff’s reputation and goodwill by offering for sale and/or selling unauthorized and unlicensed products, including apparel and other merchandise, using infringing and counterfeit versions of plaintiff’s federally registered trademarks,” reads the complaint.
A list of defendants was not disclosed – lawyers fear “the destruction of relevant documentary evidence and the hiding or transferring of assets to foreign jurisdictions” – but most are based in China or “other foreign jurisdictions with lax trademark enforcement.”
According to the lawsuit, the “defendants create e-commerce stores operating under one or more seller aliases that are advertising, offering for sale, and selling counterfeit products to unknowing consumers.”
Styles’ lawyers are seeking a court order that would force e-commerce platforms like eBay, Amazon and Etsy (none of which are named as defendants) to “disable and cease displaying any advertisements used by or associated with defendants in connection with the sale of counterfeit and infringing goods using the Harry Styles trademarks.”
Court records indicate that Styles’ lawyers initially filed the lawsuit on Dec. 16.
“Plaintiff is forced to file this action to combat defendants’ counterfeiting of its registered trademarks, as well as to protect unknowing consumers from purchasing counterfeit products over the internet,” reads the complaint. “Plaintiff has been and continues to be irreparably damaged through consumer confusion, dilution, and tarnishment of its valuable trademarks as a result of defendants’ actions and seeks injunctive and monetary relief.