Amazon chargers 90% fraudulent

You might have heard of Mobile Star LLC? They sell supposedly genuine Apple chargers on Amazon and Groupon… and they’ve just been sued by Apple. Eep.

Apple believes that they are infringing upon its registered trademarks and copyrights by selling counterfeit 5W USB Power Adapters and Lightning to USB cables.

The main reason behind the lawsuit (according to Apple) is that the fake products are a significant fire safety hazard that may lead to overheating, fire, and electrical shock because of less than adequate insulation and/or spacing between low and high voltage circuits.

The safety of Apple’s customers is kind of a big deal to them, so this all makes sense.

Apple believes that in total, almost 90% of so-called genuine Apple products purchased from Amazon over the last 9 months were counterfeit. Yikes.

Apple is seeking damages of up to $150,000 for each registered copyright infringed, in addition to damages of up to $2 million per trademark infringed. Apple has demanded a jury trial in the case, titled Apple Inc. v. Mobile Star LLC, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.