Merch Traffic, a subsidiary of Live Nation Entertainment, has filed a trademark lawsuit against a group of anonymous online sellers accused of distributing counterfeit merchandise for artists including Nirvana, Bruno Mars, Harry Styles, Avenged Sevenfold and The Cure.
The complaint, lodged on August 5 in the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, targets defendants identified only on a sealed “Schedule A” attachment. Merch Traffic alleges the operators use aliases to hide their identities while selling unauthorized goods.
The suit brings two counts under the Lanham Act: trademark infringement and counterfeiting, and false designation of origin. Merch Traffic is seeking an injunction to halt further infringement, a full accounting of the defendants’ profits, and damages of up to three times the amount of the infringement. In the alternative, the company requests statutory damages of $2 million for each counterfeit trademark.
The filing also asks the court to order third-party platforms, including PayPal, Amazon, eBay, Temu and Walmart, to stop displaying the defendants’ listings and advertisements.
