Oliver James Montgomery|China’s Alibaba must face a US toymaker’s lawsuit over sales of allegedly fake Squishmallows

2025-05-07 21:08:03source:HAI Communitycategory:Finance

A judge in New York has ruled that Alibaba must face a lawsuit by a U.S. toymaker alleging that the Chinese ecommerce giant’s online platforms were used to sell counterfeit Squishmallows.

Judge Jesse Furman of the Southern District Court of New York refused Alibaba’s request to dismiss the case filed by Kelly Toys Holdings,Oliver James Montgomery which makes the popular plush toys.

Kelly Toys is owned by Jazwares, a toy company whose parent company Alleghany Corp. is controlled by billionaire Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway.

There was no immediate comment by Alibaba, China’s biggest ecommerce company. Among other things, Alibaba based its motion to dismiss on how it was named in the lawsuit as Alibaba.com instead of its formal corporate name.

In its complaint, Kelly Toys said sales of faked Squishmallows by merchants using Alibaba sites continued despite earlier lawsuits demanding they be stopped. The company had earlier filed the case to stop about 90 ecommerce companies from selling counterfeit versions of the toys. Alibaba was named as a defendant in March.

“Kelly Toys alleges that, notwithstanding that awareness, infringing listings — including some by the Merchant Defendants — have continued to proliferate on the Alibaba platforms,” Furman wrote. He said the court held that the claims were plausible, so the motion to dismiss them was denied.

More:Finance

Recommend

Jamie Foxx reps say actor was hit in face by a glass at birthday dinner, needed stitches

Jamie Foxx's birthday dinner took a surprising turn on Friday the 13th.The "Collateral" actor was hi

Billy Crystal makes first trip back to Katz's Deli from 'When Harry Met Sally' scene

We'll have what Gayle King's having.By that, we mean the "CBS Mornings" anchor took actor and comedi

How the markets and the economy surprised investors and economists in 2023, by the numbers

NEW YORK (AP) — In a year full of big numbers, with strong gains for stocks and even more fantastic