Skechers takes Flipkart to court over 'counterfeit' shoes, says report

American performance footwear and lifestyle brand Skechers has taken online marketplace Flipkart and four sellers on the e-commerce platform to court for allegedly selling fake products. The US-based performance footwear brand has filed a petition in the Delhi High Court.
 
According to a report in The Economic Times, Skechers, with the help of court-appointed local commissioners, raided seven warehouses in Delhi and Ahmedabad to recover fake merchandise from sellers Retail Net, Tech Connect, Unichem Logistics and Marco Wagon.
 
The athletic footwear brand has found over 15,000 pairs of counterfeit shoes which were branded as Skechers. The company has reportedly said in its petition to the court that it is yet to raid other warehouses of these vendors.
 
Skechers has said it will take appropriate action to protect its brand name and safeguard copyright and intellectual property, ET reported.
 
E-tailers in the country have so far maintained that they are only online marketplaces and not the actual sellers. During earlier instances of fake merchandise being marketed through them, e-commerce players have argued that they only help connect sellers with consumers.
 
Several e-commerce websites in the country have earlier been accused of selling 'counterfeit' products on their platforms. Tommy Hilfiger, Lacoste, Calvin Klein, Levi's and Superdry, over the past three years, have helped confiscate thousands of fake apparels through court-aided raids on warehouses, the report added.
 
Indian e-commerce market is dominated by homegrown e-tailer Flipkart and Seattle-based Amazon. These two e-tailers held a substantial portion of the Rs 8,500 crore sales volume registered during the festive season, according to market analysts.
 
In a bid to fend off India's homegrown e-commerce major Flipkart, Jeff Bezos-led Amazon invested Rs 2,900 crore in its India operations in November. The fresh investment is part of Amazon's commitment to put in $5 billion into the Indian market.