OtterBox sues Amazon sellers over fake phone cases

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

The latest lawsuit – filed by Otter Products and its subsidiary Treefrog Developments – targets third-party sellers on Amazon Marketplace and claims they are selling fake cases that illegally bear the OtterBox trademark.

The complaint, filed in King County Superior Court in Washington, names a number of third-party sellers that are accused of selling phone cases that are of inferior quality, undermining its reputation as a manufacturer of quality products.

It also accuses some authorised resellers of breach of contract as they are selling products through Amazon Marketplace without prior consent to do so. Otterbox carefully limits sales of its products on Amazon and other online outlets like eBay, Walmart Marketplace, or Craigslist because they can be a source of fake products.