Harry Styles 'Protects' Fans, Goes After Unauthorised Sellers of Fake Merchandise [Report]

Fake or counterfeit merchandise is nothing new in the music industry, after all, not everyone can afford the overpriced shirts they're selling on the artist's website, but that doesn't mean it should be left unchecked.

Harry Styles is taking his stand against the fake merchandise being sold online, and suing them for violating the intellectual property rights of his merchandise.

According to Billboard, the "Watermelon Sugar" singer is going after the unauthorized sellers who are tricking or duping his fans into buying fake merchandise. The case was filed in a Chicago federal court on Jan 10.

"Plaintiff is forced to file this action to combat defendants' counterfeiting of its registered trademarks, as well as to protect unknowing consumers from purchasing counterfeit products over the Internet," read a statement issued by Styles' legal team.

Aside from counterfeit merchandise being sold on unauthorized sites, apparently, dupes of the singer's merchandise are also being sold on legitimate websites like Amazon and Etsy, Rolling Stones reported.

This, in turn, makes it "difficult for consumers to distinguish such stores from an authorized retailer."

That is also why Styles' team is seeking a sweeping takedown of the counterfeit items being sold online, although this might prove to be a little difficult since some of the merchandise being sold come all the way from China and "other foreign jurisdictions with lax trademark enforcement system."

This roadblock is identified by the "As It Was" singer's camp, who noted, "Tactics used by defendants to conceal their identities and the full scope of their operation make it virtually impossible for plaintiff to learn defendants' true identities and the exact interworking of their counterfeit network."

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Precedents

According to reports, Styles is not the first artist-or brand-to go after these unauthorized sellers and counterfeit merchandise.

In fact, this legal maneuver to eliminate counterfeit merchandise from online spaces has been done previously by other brands and artists, like Nirvana, XXXTentacion, Ray-Ban, Tommy Hilfiger, and Nike.

Styles taking action towards counterfeit merchandise comes during his current and ongoing tour "Love on Tour," in support of his album "Fine Line" and "Harry's House."

It comes as no surprise that Styles wants to protect the intellectual property rights of his brand and merchandise especially while he is on tour.

One of the singer's most well-known taglines in association with his merchandise is "Treat People with Kindness" or "TPWK." This slogan has been used in many of his shows and merchandise.

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