Food processor firms claim importer sold counterfeits

A California company has been sued by the manufacturers of food blenders for importing and selling counterfeit copies of the appliances.

Capbran Holdings and Nutribullet have filed a trademark infringement complaint against Tri Locus International, requesting a jury trial and damages of at least $1m, according to a Northern California Record report.

There have been numerous reports of counterfeit and potentially hazardous Nutribullet and Magic Bullet food processors being sold by online retailers, including well-known sites such as Amazon and eBay.

UK-based consumer charity Electrical Safety First conducted a test of a cheap knock-off of a Nutribullet blender to see what would happen when a piece of ice or stone got stuck in the blades.
In just over four seconds, the cheap rip-off overheated and exploded, as can be seen in this BBC video.

The Northern California Record reports that Capbran and Nutribullet decided to take action after being informed by the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) of a seized shipment of food processors badged up as Magic Bullet and Nutribullet appliances.

The complaint alleges the blenders were imported by Tri Locus International and exported by Chinese company Ningbo Yongyi Trading Co.

"The plaintiffs hold Tri Locus International LLC responsible because the defendant allegedly imported and distributed counterfeit products and deceived buyers with counterfeit retail packaging and booklets, including counterfeit trademarks on the packaging," according to the report.