Apple warns against 'genuine' fake chargers and cables on Amazon

Even 'Genuine' labelled accessories sold by multiple sellers are claimed by Apple to be counterfeit, leading the company to have filed a trademark infringement case.

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Of a number of things that we would like Apple to fix, the charging cable is at the top of the list. Easily tearable at the connecting node, the Apple charging cables rank among the top replacement accessories bought by its users. However, the originality of the products have remained under question for a while. Now, a recent claim made by Apple states that even the cables labelled as ‘Genuine’ on Amazon are counterfeit.

The list of ‘genuine’ fake accessories sold directly by Amazon.com include charging adapters and cables. The company states, “Apple recently purchased a number of Apple power adapters and charging and syncing cables (collectively “power products”) that were directly sold by Amazon.com – not a third party seller – and determined that they were counterfeit. Amazon.com informed Apple that Mobile Star was its source for the majority of these counterfeit Apple products.”

This has subsequently led to a trademark infringement case filed by Apple against Mobile Star, where Apple will be seeking an injunction against Mobile Star, destruction of all counterfeit products and damages worth $2 million per product type. “Counterfeit power products, such as those supplied by Mobile Star, pose an immediate threat to consumer safety because, unlike genuine Apple products, they are not subjected to industry-standard consumer safety testing and are poorly constructed with inferior or missing components, flawed design, and inadequate electrical insulation. These counterfeits have the potential to overheat, catch fire, and deliver a deadly electric shock to consumers while in normal use,” says Apple.

The Cupertino giant has also raised a flag against Amazon fulfilled products, stating that while the ‘Amazon Fulfilled’ tag gives users a sense of assurance, a majority of the accessories sold under this tag by third party sellers are counterfeit, and Apple states that this damages its reputation in the market of making high quality products. A major reason for counterfeit accessories, as far as Apple products are concerned, is the cost of these accessories. Third party sellers typically sell accessories that are significantly less expensive than original ones, leading to buyers opting for them.

It remains to be seen how Amazon reacts to this, and the type of regulations that Apple will look to impose on counterfeit accessories.

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