Does anything say “Holiday Season” quite like one retailer suing another for trademark and patent infringement?
Housewares company Williams-Sonoma Inc. has sued Amazon.com, Inc. claiming that the web retail giant is trading on the Williams-Sonoma name and confusing consumers by setting up an unauthorized “Williams-Sonoma”-branded store and sections on its website. What’s more, Williams-Sonoma claims that Amazon has engaged in a “systemic campaign” to copy the patented designs of its West Elm-branded furniture to create cheaper knock-offs, even adopting similar names for products in the Amazon “Rivet” line of furniture.
