PITTSBURGH, PA, (October 7, 2020) – Ference & Associates, a leading Intellectual Property law firm based in Pittsburgh, PA, announced that a preliminary injunction has been entered in a lawsuit filed against over thirty sellers on the Amazon.com and eBay.com online marketplaces and operators of Shopify stores. The preliminary injunction prohibits the defendants from selling counterfeit or knock-off versions of the ORANGE SCREW® ground anchor. A previous lawsuit shut down eighty-five sellers on the eBay.com, AliExpress.com, and Wish.com online marketplaces.
Made by Gorge Design Group LLC, the ORANGE SCREW® ground anchor is an innovative, screw-in, plastic anchor made entirely from recycled plastic and is manufactured in the United States. ORANGESCREW® ground anchors are portable, easy-to-use, and perform in a wider range of soil conditions than other portable ground anchors. This multi-use tool serves many purposes: It can replace tent stakes and metal dog tie-outs, anchor RV awnings and sun shelters, and hold tarps over boats, ATVs and firewood.
Gorge Design Group LLC is a small, family-owned company dedicated to building an international brand that is synonymous with high quality and long-lasting products. Counterfeit products made of lesser quality than their authentic ORANGE SCREW® ground anchors create confusion in the marketplace. This is not the first bout that ORANGE SCREW® has had with counterfeiters. “I’ve received calls from angry customers telling me that their ORANGE SCREW® ground anchor broke causing their tent to blow away or their pet to run loose,” said Kirby Erdely, CEO and founder of Gorge Design Group LLC. “It became evident that the product they purchased is a knock-off of our original, patented design. These fake items, easily purchased from e-commerce sites, are watering down the market and damaging the ORANGESCREW® brand.”
“When a product is a success, counterfeiters will attempt, often immediately, to outcompete the product originator with lower cost counterfeit versions, said Stanley Ference, the firm’s Managing Partner and lead attorney on the matter. “In this case, the Court is helping Kirby’s company from having to complete against fake versions of its own product. There is something a small business can do to stop the online counterfeits. Ference Law continues to fight to keep counterfeiters off of the internet.”
The preliminary injunction was entered by the Honorable William S. Stickman IV of the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania. Stanley Ference was assisted in this matter by Brian Samuel Malkin and the team of attorneys and professionals at Ference Law.
About Ference Law
For more than 20 years, Ference has been protecting clients’ IP globally. Headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Ference provides a full range of IP, copyright, patent and trademark legal services to clients in tech-intensive industries including software, electronics, biotech, and entertainment. To learn more about Ference’s online counterfeiting practice visit ferencelaw.com/counterfeiting.
About George Design Group LLC
Gorge Design Group LLC, makers of the ORANGE SCREW® ground anchor, is a family-owned business based in Bingen, Washington, in the heart of the Columbia River Gorge. The owners are a family of active outdoor enthusiasts with backgrounds in business and design. They believe that manufacturing useful, long-lasting products in the United States is vital to the economic and social health of their local community and nation. Their products are proudly made in Vancouver, Washington from recycled materials. orangescrew.com
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