Puff Bar Owner Files $75 Million Copyright Suit
Credit: Puff Bar
DS Technology Licensing, the owner of registered trademarks associated with the Puff Bar vapor device, and Puff Inc., an authorized US distributor, filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles County Superior Court against over 20 Chinese and American companies accused of distributing counterfeit vaping devices, according to a story on businesswire.com.
The companies included as defendants include international manufacturer and distributor CACUQ, US distributors, e-commerce companies, and brick and mortar retail stores. The lawsuit addresses both counterfeit “Puff Bar” vapor devices as well as knockoff products identified as “Puff Smart,” “Puff Mini,” “Puff Stig,” and “Airis Puff” and seeks $50 million in restitutionary and $25 million in punitive damages.
Defendants in the lawsuit have infringed on the famous “Puff” and “Puff Bar” marks by introducing competing devices which use the stylized “Puff” associated with Puff Bar Vapor Devices as well as by openly selling fake or counterfeit Puff Bar vapor devices. Defendants are believed to be only a small number of the violators, as the anti-counterfeit verification system at puffbar.com has identified thousands of retail stores at which consumers bought devices which failed the check.
