Facebook and Gucci file first joint lawsuit against alleged online counterfeiter

The companies filed their first joint lawsuit against an alleged online counterfeiter as the web giant and luxury brand move to crack down on the fraudulent practice.

FILE PHOTO: Gucci products are displayed in the window of a store on Old Bond Street in London, Britain June 2, 2016.  (REUTERS)

Facebook and Gucci filed their first joint lawsuit against an alleged online counterfeiter as the web giant and luxury brand move to crack down on the fraudulent practice.

Facebook and Kering SA's Italian fashion brand filed the suit against an individual for breach-of-contract, claiming violations of the social media platform's terms and the infringement of Gucci's intellectual property rights, they said in a statement. The suit was filed in federal court in northern California.

The initiative, a first of its kind for both Gucci and Facebook, is the latest example of an Internet giant joining forces with a luxury label to fight the proliferation of counterfeit goods being sold via social media. 

The individual, who isn't identified in the statement, used various Facebook and Instagram accounts to dodge prior enforcement actions by the platforms, and continues to promote her business selling fake Gucci goods, the companies alleged.

Customers “deserve to be able to shop for authentic Gucci products without fear of being deceived,” they said. Online sales of luxury handbags, shoes and garments have boomed over the past year as the coronavirus pandemic forced retailers to temporarily close their stores.

Luxury goods makers have long struggled to stamp out counterfeiting, with billions of dollars worth of revenue at stake. In the statement, Facebook said it took down more than one million pieces of content from its own and Instagram's networks in the first half of last year, based on thousands of reports of counterfeit content from brands including Gucci.