Fake ‘Supreme’ Store Owners Face Jailtime And $10.4 Million Fine
Supreme Italia in Shanghai Aegean Plaza, unrelated to the original Supreme New York. Image via Hu Siyuan / Shutterstock.com
After amassing trademark registrations for a streetwear brand named Supreme in various countries such as San Marino, Indonesia, Singapore, and Spain, and opening stores across Europe and China, the masterminds of a deceptive Supreme Italia have been charged with a US$10.4 million fine as well as sentenced to jail.
To be clear, Supreme Italia is unassociated to the original street label, Supreme New York. Utilizing their company International Brand Firm (IBF), father and son Michele and Marcello Di Pierro had filed for trademark registrations and began to distribute counterfeit products, dubbed “legal fakes” by Italian trademark attorney Silvia Grazioli, in reference to trademarks filed by fake brands in a country “where the original mark has yet to be launched.”
Supreme has highly exclusive and hard-to-obtain products, where the brand has had less than a dozen stores despite having existed for 27 years. Regardless, it has grown a huge cult following over the last few years, resulting in infamous queues snaking around its stores when new collections are released and hefty resale prices.
Circuit Judge Martin Beddoe described the Di Pierros’ acts as “brazen” and “riddled with dishonesty.” Although not present in court at the time of hearing, Michele Di Pierro declared the legal attacks “grave and unjustified” with “absurd, unfounded, and slanderous allegations.”
The father, Michele Di Marco, has been sentenced to eight years in jail, whereas the younger Marcello faces three years.
[via The Sole Supplier, cover image via Hu Siyuan / Shutterstock.com]
Also check out these recent news
