Spyderco is suing eBay for counterfeits

palonej said:
When I read that, I was amazed Hack!
That legal team needs a bit of a spanking.......if we have all the facts.
That suit never even made it off the ground. What a waste of time and money.......again, if that is true.
Regardless, I am rooting for Sal & Co in this suit.
Joe
Click to expand...
I read about the suit dismissal on a New England sports news site. I don't really know the source, so it could be the ever-present Fake News!;)

I probably should have added that caveat into my post. I haven't been able to find a copy of the court's dismissal, but here's a copy of the original complaint. It's a good read.
https://www.scribd.com/document/337632612/Complaint

If you read the complaint it looks like Spyderco had a no-brainer that Kittery DID do business in Colorado by purchasing Spyderco knives...but apparently that didn't hold water for the court.

One thing that's interesting about the complaint is that Spyderco identifies the trademarked logo, bug and round hole as incontestable "Spyderco Marks". This may indicate that they're using the same approach in the eBay suit and could go after any knife sold with a round hole...
 
Buyer beware! If it seems to good to be true it probably is. Buy from reputable dealers.
 
Last edited:
In the end I don't much care if this damages eBay because I only use eBay for things that I can't sell locally or can't sell for what it is worth, ie my SNES MMX Games, or when I want to buy something rare. The first 2 scenarios cover 80% of my eBay use and in the last 6 yrs or more I have used it maybe on 2 or 3 occasions. For finding and buying the rare items eBay isn't the go to source it once was and is so flooded with eBay seller business the prices aren't as good as they once were. The problem selling on it is as a seller you are left hoping the buyer doesn't abuse the very lopsided resolution system that heavily favors buyers often leaving a seller out the item, money paid, and costs.
 
Good for Spyderco. I've reported fake Spydercos, Strider, and ESEE and The sellers kept on selling uninterrupted. E-Bay should not be able to keep fees/money from reported fake items for sale. E-Bay keeps the money knowing the item was fake. That makes them a party to the fraud and IP theft. They do have deep pockets which buys more justice than most can afford but we know they are wrong. We can choose to support Spyderco and reject eBay.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Mo2
GrReaper said:
Make every seller have a paypal or credit card account linked to ebay.
Click to expand...

That's actually a really good idea.

Now that I think about it, I'm kind of surprised that they haven't already done this.

Between requiring a seller to provide a CC, and the buyer using PayPal, the chance for fraud goes down quite a bit.
 
bearfacedkiller said:
Why just knives? Fake knives likely make up less than 0.1% of the fake stuff on there. What about all the fake baby products, fake name brand clothing, fake luggage, fake OEM car parts, fake dog toys, fake Otterbox phone cases, fake Nitecore and other flashlights, fake sunglasses, fake sports memorabilia, fake Apple products and the list goes on and on. Maybe they can take a look at the fake auto parts that are likely to kill someone. We need to step outside our little knife world on this one and see the big picture.

You endorse knives made by companies who have no respect for IP rights. I question where you really stand on this one.
Click to expand...

That is the problem. Not many authenticity experts out there. Usually peoples knowledge of fakes is limited to the scope of their interests. This is why its almost impossible to eliminate counterfeit items on ebay. Much less institute a disciplinary system regulating the sale of such things. As for your last comment, some including me have a different set of criteria and definitions as to what is and isn't acceptable for them. I don't mind clone knives. But I don't like knives that use counterfeit logos. Some aren't completely one sided on the issue. And even if I don't mind clones I also help people spot them and other fakes so that people who wish to avoid them can do so.
 
Stays Sharp said:
Spyderco says that they do an active job of finding fake listings and Ebay doesn't follow through enough and take listings down when they themselves report them. Sellers who get reported have a long leash. Spend a few minutes searching the blatant fakery. Report it and see if it gets taken down.

They were aggressive with China based Aliexpress and at least typing Spyderco in the search bar doesnt yield pages deep of Spyderholed knives anymore.

I would try anything if my products were being undercutted and sold on American websites. This should at least get their attention and maybe even get them to be more proactive.

I take it that you have better ideas to help protect your brand? Sal's a mod also, maybe you can help him with some advise.
Click to expand...

This problem would be much simpler if there were only a handful of individuals/companies selling counterfeit knives on Ebay. They could be identified and permanently banned. Problem solved.

The problem is that it's not just a few individuals or companies selling counterfeits. How many people are actively selling counterfeit knives on Ebay? Is it just a few people? Highly doubtful.

How do you stop a large number of people from posting counterfeit goods for sale? How do you verify that an item is genuine? How would you handle disputes between the manufacturer and the Ebay user? Would Spyderco need to personally green light every Spyderco related listing? How will Ebay and Spyderco pay for that? Ebay simply doesn't have a mechanism for this and neither does Spyderco.

As a knife maker, it says a lot that Spyderco is essentially the only factory knife I typically buy these days. I've been buying their knives for a very long time, and certainly do not wish to see their business harmed by criminals on Ebay.

I'm results driven, and I don't see how this lawsuit will change or help anything for Spyderco. I think their time might be better spent by targeting the importers of counterfeit goods rather than the sellers. If they can't get them here, they can't sell them.
 
If Spyderco wins, how would you feel if part of Spyderco's settlement was to have a banner pop up when you search for Spyderco knives on ebay, warning the buyer of complaints of counterfeit products, proceed with caution. Maybe even link it to certain sellers:

"WARNING, This seller has been known to offer clones, fakes, and counterfeit Spyderco products."
 
Last edited:
sabre cat said:
If Spyderco wins, how would you feel if part of Spyderco's settlement was to have a banner pop up when you search for Spyderco knives, warning the buyer of complaints of counterfeit products, proceed with caution. Maybe even link it to certain sellers:

"WARNING, This seller has been known to offer clones, fakes, and counterfeit Spyderco products."
Click to expand...
I like this idea. The sellers of counterfeit goods should have to pay some kind of penalty. A counterfeit tag following them around is fine with me. There's no one magic bullet that will end counterfeiting. It's a lot like exterminating cockroaches. You need to hit them in as many different ways as possible. You might not kill every last one of them, but you can at least get the problem under control.
 
I'm sure Spyderco has done its research and found they believe they have a case against eBay. I doubt very much they're jumping into this blindly.
 
Last edited:
GrReaper said:
I like this idea. The sellers of counterfeit goods should have to pay some kind of penalty. A counterfeit tag following them around is fine with me. There's no one magic bullet that will end counterfeiting. It's a lot like exterminating cockroaches. You need to hit them in as many different ways as possible. You might not kill every last one of them, but you can at least get the problem under control.
Click to expand...

It couldn't hurt. If someone, maybe you, me, Spyderco or one of their dealers files a complaint with ebay, the seller gets formal written warnings, say 2 or 3 times. Then they are flagged for X amount of time. If problems continue then further action ca be taken.

The written warnings would protect the little guy like you and I that only has one knife to sell or did not know his knife was fake. Mistakes happen.

If the knife's styled kind of like a Spyderco but is not marked or packaged like one, it's cool. Any thing else gets flagged.
 
AtechReviews said:
This suit is a step in the right direction.
I don't think it will actually reach a verdict rather than a settlement, but it will raise awareness to the counterfeits sold on the site.
Although I have nothing against clones (on the contrary), I hate to see scammers try to push a counterfeit as a genuine knife and have reported some myself.
Guess what - I've checked after some time: the listing and the seller were still right there on the site.
Click to expand...

And yet, the video reviews of yours you have posted here on BF link to your site. And on your site, included among your "favorite stores to buy knives and gear from," are sites that sell not only clones, but flat out counterfeits. In fact, you have reviewed some of the counterfeits quite positively.

Saying you "hate to see scammers try to push a counterfeit as a genuine knife" while, at the same time, promoting those very scammers seems, how to put it gently, disingenuous.
 
marcinek said:
And yet, the video reviews of yours you have posted here on BF link to your site. And on your site, included among your "favorite stores to buy knives and gear from," are sites that sell not only clones, but flat out counterfeits. In fact, you have reviewed some of the counterfeits quite positively.

Saying you "hate to see scammers try to push a counterfeit as a genuine knife" while, at the same time, promoting those very scammers seems, how to put it gently, disingenuous.
Click to expand...
Marcie, didn't you see what @RevDevil posted in a Ganzo thread about taking things out of the WC to the general forum?

And yes, I never promoted selling fakes as genuine knives, even in your favorite post from my blog I clearly state that I'm against putting genuine logos on clones, thus turning them into fakes.
I have also stated numerous times that I prefer sterile clones that couldn't be sold as fakes to a flat out fake and I never scammed anyone, on the contrary.
If I did promote that - would I then help dozens of folks to determine if their knife is genuine or a fake?
I do hate to see folks getting scammed, because that ruins the reputation for sterile clones in part and all Chinese knives in general.

About the sellers - they sell genuine Chinese knives in the same stores as well (like the District 9 models), and I simply point out which ones of the sellers aren't scammers and will give decent CS.

So get your facts together before you accuse me of something like that, will ya?
 
AtechReviews said:
This suit is a step in the right direction.
I don't think it will actually reach a verdict rather than a settlement, but it will raise awareness to the counterfeits sold on the site.
Although I have nothing against clones (on the contrary), I hate to see scammers try to push a counterfeit as a genuine knife and have reported some myself.
Guess what - I've checked after some time: the listing and the seller were still right there on the site.
Click to expand...

marcinek said:
And yet, the video reviews of yours you have posted here on BF link to your site. And on your site, included among your "favorite stores to buy knives and gear from," are sites that sell not only clones, but flat out counterfeits. In fact, you have reviewed some of the counterfeits quite positively.

Saying you "hate to see scammers try to push a counterfeit as a genuine knife" while, at the same time, promoting those very scammers seems, how to put it gently, disingenuous.
Click to expand...
AtechReviews said:
Marcie, didn't you see what @RevDevil posted in a Ganzo thread about taking things out of the WC to the general forum?
Click to expand...
Your post Marci quoted was from this very thread, not W&C. o_O Is he no longer allowed to discuss this issue with you?
 
AtechReviews said:
Marcie, didn't you see what @RevDevil posted in a Ganzo thread about taking things out of the WC to the general forum?
Click to expand...

I certainly did. And I am asking about your reply in this thread about counterfeits and the sites that sell them, and your site, which you reference in the videos you post here on BF. No subfoum other than here or "Reviews" was referenced.

You chose to join this conversation, and I am asking you to expand on your stance on the issue. Seems fully in the spirit of the thread and of a discussion forum. You are welcome not to, of course.

Seems you are saying that if a site does not sell too many counterfeits, that they are OK with you...or at least OK enough with them to list them among the vendors you prefer to buy from on your site. Correct?
 
On the bay there are fakes that aren't easy to spot, but it's full of blatantly advertised counterfeits. Like this description:

A0131Clone CR Sebenza 25 TC4 Titanium Tactical Handle Knives Knife With D2 Blade

That can't be hard for them to spot. I reported that one. Some of you said they'll do nothing. I think you're right.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top