NEW YORK — Fine jewelry and watch firm Chopard has filed a lawsuit against a group of alleged timepiece counterfeiters.
The lawsuit was filed on March 27 in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California against defendants Magarian Jewelry Inc., Best Watches and Jewelry for Less, Joan Golden and Edvard Minasyan. It seeks damages in excess of $5 million and other relief for trademark infringement, among other related claims.
Paul Nesmith, an attorney for Magarian Jewelry, declined to comment Thursday. None of the other defendants could be reached for comment.
The lawsuit was followed on April 5 with a temporary restraining order against the defendants, stopping them from further alleged counterfeiting and enabling the seizure of counterfeited goods.
“So many brands have had to deal with this situation for a long time where there are these cheap knockoffs,” said Marc Hruschka, Chopard’s president and chief executive officer in the U.S. “While that’s a concern, it’s not as much of a concern. But now there’s more higher-quality knockoffs. With these knockoffs, it’s more difficult for the untrained eye to tell the difference. It has the right look on the dial and the weight is right, but if you look at the stones on the watch and the movements within, you can tell.”
Hruschka said the Geneva company began receiving counterfeit watches for after-sales service, which led it to pursue the lawsuit.
“I’m disappointed for the person who buys a counterfeited watch and thinks they’re getting a great price on the product and then learns it’s not real,” said Hruschka. “For me, the lawsuit is important on three fronts. First, for the end consumer to understand that Chopard authorizes our retailers to carry our product and if a consumer is buying from an unauthorized source, they can’t be sure they are buying something that was manufactured by Chopard. It also protects our retailers. Lastly, we as a company want to ensure that we protect the brand and the long-term value of the brand.”
Hruschka said Chopard has devoted significant resources to deterring counterfeiting and added the company plans to continue its vigilance. Hruschka was not able to comment on whether additional lawsuits are being pursued in other countries at this time.