Amazon Files Lawsuits Against Influencers Promoting Counterfeit Luxury Goods

Amazon has filed two lawsuits against social media influencers Kamryn Russell and Ashley Hawat for allegedly promoting and selling counterfeit luxury products like handbags and jewelry through the online retailer.

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The ecommerce giant is accusing Russell, Hawat and their associates of trying to evade Amazon’s systems for detecting counterfeit goods in order to profit from the sale of knock-off designer items.

According to Amazon, the influencers posted links on social media directing followers to generic Amazon listings that didn’t display brand names or logos.

However, Russell and Hawat reportedly made it clear in their posts that people would receive counterfeit luxury products if they bought through the links.

Amazon claims the influencers took advantage of their large followings on social media and urged people to purchase the counterfeits quickly before the listings could be removed.

The company says Russell and Hawat earned commissions for driving sales of fake designer goods, which could damage the brand reputations of luxury fashion houses.

In one social media post highlighted in the lawsuit, Hawat allegedly wrote, “[Amazon] will be taking down so quickly!! Ordering this now!!” — appearing to acknowledge the illicit nature of the scheme.

The ecommerce company says it strongly supports legitimate influencers but will pursue legal action against those who knowingly promote and sell counterfeit items. Amazon’s Counterfeit Crimes Unit has filed similar lawsuits against other influencers over ‘hidden links’ schemes in the past year.

“These bad actors knew exactly what they were doing when they attempted to evade Amazon’s brand protection systems to sell counterfeit products that clearly infringed on brands’ intellectual property rights,” said Kebharu Smith, director of Amazon’s CCU.

“Content creators serve an important role for consumers around the globe, and these lawsuits not only seek to protect Amazon and the affected brands, but also seek to hold accountable those who diminish the role of legitimate content creators.”

The latest lawsuits aim to protect Amazon, affected brands and content creators from counterfeit sales and send a message about intellectual property rights, according to the company. It’s also not the first time Amazon has pursued influencers, as the company previously settled with a pair of social media influencers who used a similar scheme.

Amazon is seeking damages from Russell, Hawat and their associates.