Apple Lightning Cables
Apple’s suit against manufacturer Mobile Star claimed Amazon directly sold counterfeit Apple branded chargers and power cords. Photo: Apple.

Amazon is again embroiled in a conflict over counterfeit products, this time counterfeit Apple chargers and power cords that were sold directly by the digital retail giant.

In a suit filed against New York based manufacturer Mobile Star LLC, Apple says internal investigators bought a number of Apple products that “were directly sold by Amazon.com – not a third party seller – and determined that they were counterfeit.”

About 90 percent of the products initially tested were counterfeit, the documents report.

Amazon listed Mobile Star as the supplier of the majority of the counterfeit goods, according to the documents. The retail giant and handed over other products produced by Mobile Star to Apple, which the company also determined to be counterfeit.

Previous clashes over third parties selling counterfeit goods have led to retailers pulling stock from Amazon’s marketplace, but this case is particularly interesting as it indicates Amazon’s own retail arm was hoodwinked into selling the counterfeit products .

“Consumers, relying on Amazon.com’s reputation, have no reason to suspect the power products they purchased from Amazon.com are anything but genuine,” Apple says in the complaint.

The documents also claim Mobile Star supplied counterfeits to Groupon, a subscription-based e-commerce marketplace, and that the counterfeits pose a danger to consumers as necessary safety equipment is often flawed or missing.

Read the full complaint filing below:

Apple, Inc. vs. Mobile Star, LLC by Clare McGrane on Scribd

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