4 ms·

He never claimed to be an official Apple retailer or to be endorsed by the company, which is the protection afforded by a trademark.

• extension 15y ago
  The goods were allegedly Apple branded without authorization, hence counterfeit.
  • corin_ 15y ago
    I've no idea about the exact legal situation, and I would assume that what he did was technically illegal (and would have before I heard of this story). That said, I'm not sure his products can be described as "counterfeit", because at no point did he claim they were official Apple products or mislead customers in any way. Absolutely everyone who bought a case off him will have known that it was a non-Apple product designed to enhance the aesthetics of an Apple product. (Again, without knowing about the laws, perhaps legally this is classed as "counterfeit" anyway, but not, in opinion, outside of a legal situation.)
    • extension 15y ago
      Having the Apple trademark on them is what makes them counterfeit. He probably would have gotten away with it if he had changed the labels, but I doubt that was technically feasible anyway.