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Photoflex Products, Inc., sues Amvona.com for patent/copyright infringement and unfair competition |
| 01/04/2005 - Watsonville, California |
Photoflex Products, Inc., has filed a federal lawsuit in the U.S. against Amvona.com charging infringement of Photoflex's United States copyrights and patent, unfair competition, and false designation of origin for products Amvona.com sells on the Internet, it was announced today by President Sharon Reeves. |
"Photoflex has undertaken this legal action after discovering that Amvona.com had taken marketing materials from our print catalogs, CDs, and website, and placed them on its own website and other associated websites. These materials include photographs and images that even show Photoflex employees," Reeves states. "Amvona.com's actions have confused the public, even leading people to approach Photoflex to return or exchange Amvona.com products."
The lawsuit charges that Amvona.com acquired Photoflex products, copied their designs, and then had unauthorized copies manufactured overseas and imported for sale in the U.S. In addition to infringing Photoflex's copyrights and patent, the lawsuit claims that these imported goods fail to indicate the country of origin, in violation of U.S. import laws.
The legal action has been brought against Circa 3 LLC, doing business as Amvona.com, an internet-based business in Dedham, Mass. Like Photoflex, Amvona.com sells lighting equipment that can be used in the photography and video/film industries. The products sold by Amvona.com and the associated images are at the heart of this dispute, and include softboxes, continuous lighting heads, backdrops, reflectors, and lighting kits.
In its complaint, Photoflex seeks an injunction to stop Amvona.com from continuing activities that allegedly confuse, mislead, and deceive the public. Photoflex also seeks substantial monetary damages stemming from Amvona.com's financial gains from its alleged misappropriation of Photoflex's intellectual property.
According to Photoflex's counsel, Alfredo Bismonte of Mount & Stoelker, P.C., San Jose, Calif., and co-counsel Michael Hughes, of Intellectual Property Law Offices, Campbell, Calif.:
"Photoflex values its intellectual property rights, and will vigorously defend these crucial assets through the courts."
The case was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California under federal copyright and patent laws and California state law (Civil Case No. C0403715 RS). |
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Photoflex Inc. (www.photoflex.com) manufactures and distributes high-quality, versatile lighting equipment for the worldwide photography, video, film, and digital-imaging industries. Based in Watsonville, Calif., it also offers the Web Photo School as the largest online source of photography and digital-imaging lessons to all levels of photographers, taught by leading professional photographers.
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