Trademark Infringement Lead to Eye Injury
First Coast News reports on a Florida Intellectual Property litigation issue involving Joseph Pellegrino, a Jacksonville, Florida resident. Several years ago, Pellegrino was at a gas station on Blanding Boulevard in Orange Country Park. When he went inside to pay for his gas, he came across a pair of Oakley sunglasses retailing for $15, as opposed to the normal $200.
When he tried on the sunglasses, a part of the glasses shot right into his eye, damaging his cornea. His eye bled, necessitating surgery. Pellegrino is now at risk for eye disease.
Oakley has raided a number of stores in Florida to get rid of the counterfeit glasses. However, they are still out there. At one convenience store, the sunglasses retailed for only $7.99.
Pellegrino is suing for fraud, deceptive and unfair trade, as well a negligence. It is a crime to sell knock-offs, which violate trademark and copyright laws. Oakley claims it has taken more than 2.8 million pairs of counterfeit eyewear off the streets worth more than $30 million, just last year alone. Oakley has also shut down more than 13,000 websites claiming to sell "genuine" Oakley products.