Apple takes aim at counterfeit accessories on Amazon

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A reversible USB-to-Lighning cable and redesigned charger. One could be ready to ship this fall. Photo: Moca
Beware fake accessories from Mobile Star.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple is clamping down on counterfeit cables and chargers being sold on Amazon. The company this week filed a lawsuit against Mobile Star, claiming almost 90 percent of its accessories are fakes and pose a risk to users.

Amazon is a great place to find iPhone and iPad accessories at nice prices, but you should be careful if the products you’re eyeing were supposedly made by Apple. If they significantly cheaper than those in the Apple store, there’s a good chance they’re not real.

[contextly_auto_sidebar] Especially if they were made by Mobile Star, it seems. Apple claims to have purchased and tested products from the company and found them to be counterfeit. It also warns that Mobile Star’s products are a danger to consumers.

“Among other things, they lack adequate insulation and/or have inadequate spacing between low voltage and high voltage circuits, creating risks of overheating, fire, and electrical shock,” reports Patently Applewhich first discovered the lawsuit.

Apple points to reviews on Amazon in which customers complain about Mobile Star products that have overheated and caught fire.

Because Mobile Star claims its products are genuine Apple accessories, this is obviously damaging to Apple’s brand. The Cupertino company is concerned that some shoppers will lose faith in its products and believe they are of inferior quality.

Apple is suing Mobile Star for infringing its copyrights and trademarks, using its names, and more. It is seeking $150,000 in damages for each registered copyright that Mobile Star has infringed, plus $2,000,000 for each counterfeited item.

Apple also wants to recover its own legal costs, and to ensure that all Mobile Star products are forfeited and destroyed so that they cannot be sold.

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