Audio and infotainment solutions firm Harman International (India) Pvt. Ltd. said it has issued a legal notice to online market place ShopClues.com, alleging sales of counterfeit versions of its JBL brand. The notice also asked ShopClues to remove those products from its sites.
“As part of the investigation it was found that a sizeable number of fake JBL products were being sold on ShopClues.com via various vendors. To tackle this issue, Harman has requested the online portal to withdraw all products and remove any listings of fake JBL branded products as well as blacklist the vendors of these products. The portal has also been asked to implement certain vendor verification procedures so as to prevent this issue from recurring in the future,” Harman said in a statement.
Last week, ShopClues raised over $100 million in new capital from Tiger Global Management and existing investors Helion Venture Partners and Nexus Venture Partners riding on India’s ecommerce boom.
“This action against ShopClues serves as a timely reminder for all consumers to remain vigilant against fake products sold online. We strongly recommend that consumers make their online purchases from Harman’s official e-commerce website - harmanaudio.in,” said Sharath S, director Lifestyle business, Harman India.
ShopClues said it was working with the brand to resolve the matter. It also added that it runs a comprehensive program called ShopClues Intellectual Property Protection Program for identifying counterfeits and discouraging fraudulent sellers.
“We believe that our ability to partner with brands to protect their intellectual property rights is far more than what is available to them in the offline retail world. Most brands recognize this and together we have made great progress in addressing the issue,” the firm said in an email statement.
