Chanel, Inc. v. 21948352, an Individual, Business Entity, or Unincorporated Association

CourtDistrict Court, S.D. Florida
DecidedMarch 7, 2025
Docket0:24-cv-62446
StatusUnknown

This text of Chanel, Inc. v. 21948352, an Individual, Business Entity, or Unincorporated Association (Chanel, Inc. v. 21948352, an Individual, Business Entity, or Unincorporated Association) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Chanel, Inc. v. 21948352, an Individual, Business Entity, or Unincorporated Association, (S.D. Fla. 2025).

Opinion

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF FLORIDA CASE NO. 0:24-cv-62446-LEIBOWITZ CHANEL, INC.,

Plaintiff,

v.

21948352, an Individual, Business Entity, or Unincorporated Association,

Defendant. /

ORDER

THIS CAUSE comes before the Court on Plaintiff’s Motion for Entry of Default Final Judgment against Defendant (the “Motion”) [Mot., ECF No. 14], filed on March 7, 2025. By the instant Motion, Plaintiff, Chanel, Inc. (“Plaintiff”) seeks entry of a default final judgment against Defendant, the Individual, Business Entity, or Unincorporated Association doing business as the Store ID identified on Schedule “A” hereto (“Defendant”), which operates an Internet based e-commerce store on the DHgate.com platform that infringes Plaintiff’s trademarks and promotes and sells counterfeit goods bearing and/or using Plaintiff’s trademarks. [See generally Mot.]. Plaintiff requests the Court: (1) enjoin Defendant from producing or selling goods that infringe its trademarks; (2) authorize Plaintiff to request any e-mail service provider permanently suspend the e- mail addresses which are or have been used by Defendant in connection with Defendant’s promotion, offering for sale, and/or sale of goods bearing and/or using counterfeits and/or infringements of Plaintiff’s trademarks; (3) require Defendant to request in writing permanent termination of any Store ID, usernames, and social media accounts it owns, operates, or controls on any e-commerce or social media platform; (4) require the applicable administrator for the Store ID to disable and/or cease facilitating access to the Store ID and any other alias e-commerce stores, usernames, store identification numbers, seller identification names, social media accounts, and private messaging accounts, being used and/or controlled by Defendant which has been used in connection with marketing, offering to sell, and/or selling goods bearing and/or using counterfeits and infringements of the Plaintiff’s Marks; (5) require the administrator for the Store ID to identify any e-mail addresses known to be associated with Defendant’s Store ID; (6) require any marketplace administrator to permanently remove any and all listings and associated images of goods bearing and/or using

counterfeits and/or infringements of Plaintiff’s trademarks via the e-commerce store operating under the Store ID; (7) require Defendant and any marketplace administrator to immediately cease fulfillment of and sequester all goods of Defendant bearing one or more of Plaintiff’s trademarks in its inventory, possession, custody, or control, and surrender those goods to Plaintiff; and (8) award statutory damages. [See generally id.]. A Clerk’s Default [ECF No. 13] was entered against Defendant on February 18, 2025, after Defendant failed to respond to the Complaint [ECF No. 1], despite having been served. [See Aff. of Service, ECF No. 11]. The Court has carefully considered the Motion, the record, and applicable law, and finds default judgment against Defendant is proper. I. BACKGROUND1 A. Factual Background Plaintiff is the owner of the following trademarks, which are valid and registered on the Principal

Register of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (the “Chanel Marks”):

1 The factual background is taken from Plaintiff’s Complaint [ECF No. 1], Plaintiff’s Motion for Entry of Default Final Judgment against Defendant [Mot.], and supporting Declarations submitted by Plaintiff. Trademark Registration Registration Date Classes/Goods Number IC 025 - Suits, Jackets, Skirts, ap) Dresses, Pants, Blouses, Tunics, wey 1,241,264 June 7, 1983 Sweaters, Cardigans, Tee-Shirts, Coats, Raincoats, Scarves, Shoes and Boots IC 025 - Suits, Jackets, Skirts, Dresses, Pants, Blouses, Tunics, CHANEL 1,241,265 June 7, 1983 Sweaters, Cardigans, Coats, Raincoats, Scarves, Shoes and Boots IC 006 - Keychains IC 014 - Costume Jewelry IC 025 - Blouses, Shoes, Belts, @ 1,901,898 August 30, 1988 Scarves, Jackets, Men’s ‘Ties IC 026 - Brooches and Buttons for Clothing IC 025 - Clothing, namely, coats, jackets, dresses, tops, blouses, 4,241,822 November 13, 2012 sweaters, cardigans, skirts, vests, pants, jeans, belts, swim wear, pareos, hats, scarves, ties, gloves, footwear, hosie [See Decl. of Elizabeth Han in Supp. of the PL’s Mot. For Entry of Default Final Judgment against Defendant (“Han Decl.”), ECF No. 14-1 § 4; see a/so United States Trademark Registrations of the Chanel Marks at issue attached as Composite Exhibit 1 to the Compl, ECF No. 1-2]. ‘The Chanel Marks are used in connection with the manufacture and distribution of high-quality goods in the categories identified above. [See Han Decl. 4] 4-5]. Defendant, through the Internet based e-commerce store operating on the DHgate.com platform under the store identification number identified in Schedule “A” hereto (the “Store ID”), has advertised, promoted, offered for sale, or sold goods bearing and/or using what Plaintiff has determined to be counterfeits, infringements, reproductions or colorable imitations of the Chanel Marks. [See zd., §§] 4-5, 9-11; Declaration of Stephen M. Gaffigan in Supp. of the Pl.’s Mot. For Entry of Default Final Judgment against Defendant (“Gaffigan Decl.”), ECF No. 14-3 4 2]. Although

Defendant may not copy and infringe each Chanel Mark for each category of goods protected, Plaintiff has submitted sufficient evidence showing that Defendant has infringed, at least, one or more of the Chanel Marks. [See Han Decl. ¶¶ 4, 9–11]. Defendant is not now, nor has it ever been, authorized or licensed to use, reproduce, or make counterfeits, reproductions, or colorable imitations of the Chanel Marks. [See id. ¶¶ 9–11]. Defendant’s Internet based e-commerce store operating under the Store ID via the

DHgate.com platform, was accessed and observed to be advertising, offering for sale, and/or promoting products bearing and/or using various counterfeits and confusingly similar imitations of one or more of Plaintiff’s trademarks at issue in this action. [See Gaffigan Decl. ¶ 2]. Detailed web pages and images captured and downloaded under the direct supervision of Plaintiff’s counsel’s firm, of the products bearing and/or using the Chanel Marks were sent to Plaintiff’s representative for inspection. [See Han Decl. ¶ 10; Gaffigan Decl. ¶ 2]. Plaintiff’s representative reviewed the web page captures and images reflecting products bearing and/or using the Chanel Marks2 and determined the products were non-genuine, unauthorized versions of Plaintiff’s goods. [See Han Decl. ¶¶ 10–11]. B. Procedural Background On December 30, 2024, Plaintiff filed its Complaint [ECF No. 1] against Defendant for federal trademark counterfeiting and infringement, false designation of origin, common law unfair competition, and common law trademark infringement. On January 2, 2025, Plaintiff filed a Mot. for

Order Authorizing Alternate Service of Process on Defendant Pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. P. 4(f)(3) [ECF No. 6], which the Court granted on January 5, 2025 [ECF No. 8]. In accordance with the January 5,

2 Defendant deliberately blurred-out and/or physically altered the images of the Chanel Marks on the products being offered for sale via its e-commerce store. [See Han Decl. ¶ 10 n.1]. An image of one of the products at issue bearing one or more of the Chanel Marks in their entirety is shown in the customer reviews from a buyer who bought the product at issue from Defendant. [Id. at n.1]. A true and correct copy of the image of the product bearing the Chanel Marks in their entirety is included in Comp. Ex. 1 to the Decl. of Stephen M. Gaffigan in Supp. of Mot. for Alternate Service of Process on Defendant. [Id.; ECF No. 6-2].

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