No okidokey for Tokidoki ripoffs
It has collaborated with the likes of Karl Lagerfeld, Levi’s and LeSportsac.
Now Los Angeles-based powerbrand Tokidoki has delivered a strong message to local businesses attempting to rip off its success.
The company has accepted a “significant” settlement sum from two domestic counterfeit vendors, after issuing proceedings in the Federal Magistrates Court of Australia earlier this year.
Tokidoki alleged the directors of Kopuz Leather, Ali and Fatma Kopuz, committed multiple acts of intellectual property theft by selling counterfeit products through a market stall operation.
Australian Customs first alerted Tokidoki to a substantial shipment of counterfeit bags in January. Each item featured swing tags and labels with the Tokidoki trade mark. While a portion of bags featured similar themes to Tokidoki designs, some products directly reproduced protected prints such as the “Eco” and “Carnival”.
Lawyers for the brand confirmed the matter had now been settled out of court, but declined to reveal the total sum of costs and damages.
Middletons senior associate Jonathan Feder said Kopuz Leather also gave undertakings agreeing not to manufacture, import for sale, sell, offer or publicly exhibit fake goods bearing the Tokidoki mark or design.
He confirmed Tokidoki had commenced proceedings against counterfeit vendors in Australia once before, with the matter again settled out of court.
“Tokidoki does not have any other proceedings underway in Australia at the moment, however it does have a number of similar actions underway around the world,” he said. “Tokidoki has found that the problem of counterfeit products being available on the market in many countries has increased in recent times.”
Tokidoki is enlisted in a special program operated by Australian Customs, which alerts companies to potential counterfeit products entering the country. Feder has encouraged all brand owners to set up a Customs program in order to combat the rise of fake goods in the marketplace.
Assia Benmedjdoub