Canon and Amazon Filed a Joint Trademark Infringement Lawsuit

[Canon Rumors Guy]

MELVILLE, NY, May 10, 2023 — Canon U.S.A., Inc. and its parent company, Canon Inc. of Japan, and Amazon.com, Inc. and Amazon.com Services LLC jointly filed a lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington against 29 selling accounts which sold camera batteries and chargers in the Amazon store, alleging infringement

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[neuroanatomist]

The moral is to buy your batteries (and memory cards) from a vendor like B&H or Adorama, not from Amazon. Even if it's 'sold by and ships from Amazon', AFAIK that stock is commingled with stock from 3rd party sellers, meaning you may still get a counterfeit item.

 

[amorse]

This is why I won't buy batteries (or memory cards for that matter) from Amazon, or frankly any retailers when they're including marketplace sellers (i.e. best-buy). With that said, I've still run into suspect counterfeits from on-site purchases from some retailers. And the number of microSD cards that actually deliver what they claim to seems to be exceedingly low.

 

[Greggr]

o yes... battery for 80$ for battery it's a good reason

 

[usern4cr]

Too bad that the same concept of upholding truth in advertising isn't enforced as libel in social media (eg facebook) and broadcast sites.

 

[neuroanatomist]

o yes... battery for 80$ for battery it's a good reason

Well, honestly probably not, at least not a great reason. Consider what Canon charges for an OEM lens hood, which is just a moulded piece of plastic, compared to what 3rd party vendors charge for the same item. Third party makers selling batteries under their own label (e.g. Wasabi, or as I just noticed, Mantrotto) charge much less than Canon, so clearly there's an OEM markup, but that's not the problem here. The problem is here is counterfeit batteries, i.e. those being sold as Canon products but made by someone else more cheaply probably because they lack safety circuitry, etc.

 

[Chaitanya]

This is why I won't buy batteries (or memory cards for that matter) from Amazon, or frankly any retailers when they're including marketplace sellers (i.e. best-buy). With that said, I've still run into suspect counterfeits from on-site purchases from some retailers. And the number of microSD cards that actually deliver what they claim to seems to be exceedingly low.

Add newegg to that list as well, they have quite a lot of shady listings these days.

 

[bbasiaga]

This is rampant among memory cards as well. I think ultimately the suit is a good thing. But part of me wonders how complicit the vendors are. I'm sure some are, and some aren't. The real problem is back in China, where they make all this stuff including the counterfeit packaging. A lot of aspects of their economy are built on willful ignorance of intellectual property, copyright and trademark. I suppose the vendor could take the fall, but few are probably totally innocent anyway. I know I went to Italy years ago and was warned not to buy name brand merch from street vendors in Venice. Typically counterfiet even if not the top fashion brands. I was told I'd be fined 1000euro for each item I'd bought if caught. The seller would be asked to go home. I guess it breaks the cycle one way or the other - take out the customer, the seller or the maker. You only need to remove one for the system to fail.

-Brian

 

[neuroanatomist]

I know I went to Italy years ago and was warned not to buy name brand merch from street vendors in Venice.

This crate of Gucci bags just fell off the back of a truck.

I've been in that situation once, moving a lab and a mass spectrometer literally fell off the back of a truck...in New Jersey, no less. The transport company's insurance paid the $600K replacement cost.

 

[Greggr]

Well, honestly probably not, at least not a great reason. Consider what Canon charges for an OEM lens hood, which is just a moulded piece of plastic, compared to what 3rd party vendors charge for the same item. Third party makers selling batteries under their own label (e.g. Wasabi, or as I just noticed, Mantrotto) charge much less than Canon, so clearly there's an OEM markup, but that's not the problem here. The problem is here is counterfeit batteries, i.e. those being sold as Canon products but made by someone else more cheaply probably because they lack safety circuitry, etc.

maybe you right... but hard believe, really hard believe...

 

[sanj]

As long as the 2nd party is not saying it is a Canon battery, all is good. Free trade.

 

[Skyscraperfan]

I heard that some third party batteries are really bad and degrade much faster than the original batteries, They sometimes only cost a quarter of the price though. So if you very rarely need a second battery, you might not want to spend the 135 Euros for an original Canon battery.

Of course third party batteries with a Canon logo are a real fraud.

 

[neuroanatomist]

I heard that some third party batteries are really bad and degrade much faster than the original batteries, They sometimes only cost a quarter of the price though. So if you very rarely need a second battery, you might not want to spend the 135 Euros for an original Canon battery.

Apparently, some bodies have problems with 3rd party batteries, as well. Personally, I've stuck with OEM (IIRC, I got a Vivitar-branded LP-E6N in a bundle with my EOS R, but I bought a second OEM and set the Vivitar one aside, sold it with the camera after getting the R3).

 

[entoman]

Good, I hope the fraudsters get sent to the slammer.

Third party batteries are not an issue, but fraudsters faking the real product get everything they deserve.

 

[jeffa4444]

I have a mix of OEM and Duracell batteries for the Canon R5 & R6 MKII. Never had any issues with the Duracell batteries which are 3rd Party NH batteries. I also use the Hahnel Cube charger which is way better than the Canon charger.

 

[Maximilian]

Good, I hope the fraudsters get sent to the slammer.

1000% agree

Third party batteries are not an issue, but fraudsters faking the real product get everything they deserve.

... as long QC is good and there won't be any technical issues.
Which can also appear with OEM batteries, but then the OEM is responsible for all damage. Try to charge (funny term ) a third party supplier for you dead camera.

 

[bbasiaga]

This crate of Gucci bags just fell off the back of a truck.

I've been in that situation once, moving a lab and a mass spectrometer literally fell off the back of a truck...in New Jersey, no less. The transport company's insurance paid the $600K replacement cost.

If you beleive what you hear, Gucci turned a blind eye to the fakers because they saw it as a status symbol - they were so elite those who could not reach their heights had to settle for a copy. And their customers, supposedly, knew and understood that. They had the real stuff. They were better.

Such avarice does not seem at play in camera batteries.

-Brian

 

[JustUs7]

Canon’s banning third party batteries!?! /sarc

 

[Del Paso]

Never bought or used a non-OEM battery. I just don't care saving a few $ on batteries after having spent a few thousand $ on bodies...
I just don't trust unknown exotic brands.

 

[AlanF]

Never bought or used a non-OEM battery. I just don't care saving a few $ on batteries after having spent a few thousand $ on bodies...
I just don't trust unknown exotic brands.

I recently wanted a pocketful for a trip where charging could be difficult. I bought 3 Neewer plus a 3-cell charger for half the price of a single Canon LP-E6NH (Canon costs £114 in UK, = $144, compared with $79 from B&H). They are excellent, and if Canon is going to price gouge us I'm not playing ball with them.