Duke Sues Chinese Sellers Over Fake Merchandise

Duke University struck back at online vendors selling fake Duke-branded items through Temu and AliExpress. The legal fight targets multiple Chinese firms pushing counterfeit goods on web marketplaces.

Filed in the Illinois federal court through Sullivan & Carter, the suit aims to block fake Duke merchandise sales. The sellers remain hard to track, running operations from China and other nations while targeting U.S. buyers through complex networks.

The vendors use a web of PayPal accounts, eBay storefronts, and foreign banks to process sales. Such tactics make tracking their activities nearly impossible.

To trick buyers, scammers build sites that look just like Duke's real stores. Many items show the basketball program's logos and names of former stars. The school owns many protected marks for uniforms, hats, sweatshirts, games, and gear.

Catching these groups proves tough since they work outside U.S. borders. When blocked, they switch names and sites to keep selling fakes.

The school wants courts to block all use of Duke marks or similar designs. They're pushing to cut off these sellers from both sales sites and payment systems.

According to Sportico, the sports world faces mounting losses from fakes. In 2020, U.S. border agents seized $1.3 billion in knockoffs.

Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman will lead the case, which alleges trademark theft, the sale of counterfeit goods, and deceptive business practices that harm shoppers and the school.