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Spyderco Suing Retailer for Alleged Sale of Counterfeits

January 26, 2017

Spyderco is taking legal action against Kevin, Inc. owner of Maine outdoor retailer Kittery Trading Post for allegedly selling counterfeit versions of two of its most popular blades, the Military and Para Military 2. The lawsuit lists seven different offenses including Infringement of Trademarks, Commercial Disparagement, and Misappropriation of Business Value, and seeks reparations of up to 6 million dollars .

According to the December action filed in the US District Court for the District of Colorado, events were set in motion on October 16, 2016, when Kittery Trading Post sold a counterfeit Military and Para Military 2, for $80 and $75 respectively. Spyderco said they bore all the markings of its knives, including the Spyder Mark, the Round Hole, the Glessers’ maker marks, and the “Golden, CO, USA, Earth” origin stamp.

Spyderco said they hired an independent metallurgist to determine if the blades marked CPM S30V were authentic. “The results of that testing confirmed that the knives .. were not manufactured by Spyderco in Golden, Colorado and are not authentic,” they wrote.

Spyderco included a photo of the knives (shown below) in the complaint, which were said to be sold without boxes but marked with price tags that depict scanner barcodes tied to Kittery Trading Post’s POS System and the words ‘CLONE PARAMILITARY’ and ‘CLONE MILITARY.’ “Kevin was thus aware of exactly what it was doing when it chose to offer for sale through its store the Counterfeit Knives,” Spyderco wrote in the complaint.

Spyderco Lawsuit13-1

Despite seemingly inescapable evidence presented by Spyderco, in a statement sent to KnifeNews by attorneys representing the Defendant, President Kevin Adams denies the allegations. “Not only is this false, but for anyone that knows us at Kittery Trading Post, the suggestion is outrageous. .. This false allegation is regrettable, and we will strongly defend ourselves against it,” he says. On January 5th, Kevin, Inc. filed a motion to dismiss the case. The parties will reconvene on February the 1st.

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Jeff Loffer, anti-counterfeiting hawk and owner of CutleryShoppe.com, points out some of the consequences of the growing phenomenon. “Products being made and sold that are deceitfully crafted to look like Spyderco’s products, not only hurt Spyderco’s reputation, but could result in injury to consumers.”

But, Loffer puts much of the blame squarely on end users who knowingly buy counterfeit knives. “I find it concerning there is even a marketplace or demand for such items.”

Knife featured in image: Spyderco Para Military 2

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