Amazon and Salvatore Ferragamo filed lawsuits in US courts on Thursday accusing third-party sellers of using the e-commerce site to sell counterfeits of the Italian brand's products.

The separate lawsuits accuse four individual merchants and three companies based in the United States or China of offering knockoff belts bearing the Ferragamo brand and design on Amazon.

The companies say they purchased some of the products themselves and determined they were fakes.

Italian luxury goods retailer Salvatore Ferragamo filed suit against vendors selling knockoff belts on Amazon
Italian luxury goods retailer Salvatore Ferragamo filed suit against vendors selling knockoff belts on Amazon AFP / Vincenzo PINTO

Amazon said it closed the accounts of the merchants, who shared the same mailing addresses, banking details, packaging and sales tactics.

"We do not allow counterfeit products in our store, and we have made it crystal clear that we take aggressive action to hold accountable bad actors who attempt to evade our proactive protections," said Dharmesh Mehta, a vice president at Amazon.

Salvatore Ferragamo is known for taking aggressive action against counterfeiters, and said it blocked 94,000 products worldwide in 2020, and received $2.8 million in compensation.

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