OtterBox claims $2m victory over case counterfeiters

OtterBox has won another legal battle in its ongoing war against counterfeiters who copy its premium mobile phone and tablet cases.

A US District Court judge has issued a permanent injunction against New York-based company S&P Trading, and also ordered it to pay OtterBox $2m related to the sale of counterfeit cases.

S&P Trading purchased and then sold almost 150,000 counterfeit cases, infringing on federally registered trademarks for which OtterBox owns all rights, said the company in a statement.

This is the latest judgment in a series of actions OtterBox has taken to protect its brand, which it claims includes the top-selling case for smartphones. Last year alone 118,000 fake OtterBox items were seized in the US, leading to settlements of $11 million.

The company has also started a major public education push to try to help customers avoid buying inferior knock-offs of its product lines that may not protect their expensive smartphones or tablets.

"A lot of design, engineering and testing goes into each of our custom protective cases, which is why we take a hard line with companies creating and selling fake cases, as well as those infringing on our patents and trademarks," said OtterBox chief executive Brian Thomas.

OtterBox currently has more than 110 trademark registrations worldwide with several pending, and holds more than 190 patents in the US placing it among the top innovators in the wireless communications space just between Apple and BlackBerry.