Nintendo forms alliance with Amazon to crack down on counterfeit Amiibo and other fake products

The most important of these are Amiibo figurines, but counterfeit cartridges are also included in the lawsuit, according to Polygon.

It all started with a complaint from Nintendo and Amazon in October 2023 related to counterfeit amiibo and counterfeit cartridges. This past Tuesday, Nintendo asked the court for a $7 million judgment for statutory damages. According to official documents, the sellers of these products agreed not to sell on Amazon, but this agreement was breached. The US company provided the counterfeit products to Nintendo for verification, including merchandise, Amiibo dolls and Nintendo DS cartridges.

At this point, the accounts have already been deleted, but Nintendo and Amazon are charging trademark infringement, deceptive advertising, breach of contract and violation of the Washington State Consumer Protection Act. It appears that the sellers generated at least two million dollars between 2019 and 2023 from the sale of these fake products.

The lawyers stated that Nintendo intends to fight counterfeit products in every way possible, working with an outside brand protection services entity. "Nintendo regularly collaborates with Amazon to identify counterfeit products and strengthen automated detection and removal of these products." They also spoke of the damage to the Japanese company's image and reputation, in addition to the financial section. "The legal damages can range from $30 million to $50 million. The requested figure of seven million is conservative, but it is significant enough to deter future counterfeiting activities."

Nintendo wants to protect itself against fraudulent sellers trying to take advantage of its brand's fame and that this will disappear in the future.

If you want to know more about the process, you can check out Polygon's report here.