Trump Organization says Amazon, Walmart, eBay sellers are hawking knockoff shirts, hats, mugs
In a lawsuit filed Friday in U.S. District Court in Florida, the company accused unnamed merchants of selling "inferior imitations" of Trump-branded products on several online marketplaces, including Amazon, Walmart and eBay.
The Trump Organization company, which is owned by Trump, sells a variety of branded merchandise through its website, including a gold T1 smartphone. The Trump Organization alleges the online merchants didn't license its trademarks and weren't authorized resellers of genuine merchandise.
"By selling counterfeit products that purport to be genuine and authorized products using the TRUMP trademarks, defendants cause confusion and deception in the marketplace," the complaint states.
Coffee mugs, hats, t-shirts and sweatshirts emblazoned with "Trump," "Trump 2028," and American flags were among the examples of alleged knockoffs listed in the suit.
The Trump Organization didn't include the names of the sellers in its suit. The company intends to file a motion to seal an exhibit listing their identities, according to the complaint.
The company is seeking to prevent the merchants from using Trump trademarks. It also asks a judge to compel Amazon and other online marketplaces to destroy the alleged counterfeit goods and close their selling accounts.
Representatives from Amazon, Walmart and eBay didn't respond to requests for comment.
Amazon, Walmart and eBay all operate thriving online marketplaces that allow third-party businesses to list and sell goods. The companies have all battled issues in the past around the sale of inauthentic or unsafe goods on their platforms.
Amazon sellers looked to cash in on Trump's return to the White House earlier this year.
Sales of Trump-branded merchandise, including calendars, toilet paper and greeting cards, spiked in January, according to e-commerce marketing company Omnisend, which collected its data from seller software provider JungleScout.
In the lead up to last year's election, Amazon sellers made $140 million from Trump-related merchandise and $26 million from products promoting former Vice President and presidential candidate Kamala Harris, Omnisend found.
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