Monthly Archives: August 2021

FAKE VACCINE CARDS SOLD ON THE INTERNET

A black market has developed on the Internet and in chat rooms selling fake vaccine cards. A demand for vaccine cards has developed because employers, concerts and restaurants are requiring them. Vaccine cards are easy to counterfeit and can be shipped through the mail. eBay has removed or blocked 50 million listings.

In July, after a three month investigation, Julie Mazi, a licensed homeopathic health service doctor, was arrested at her office in Napa Valley, Calif. and charged for allegedly issuing fake vaccine cards and prescribing “immunization pellets” to patients that would protect patients from Covid-19.

The fake vaccine cards are sought by people who don’t want to get vaccinated or have put off getting vaccinated and need a card for employment.

NIKE SUES SNEAKER RESELLERS

Sneaker reselling is an estimated $2 billion business. Getting the sneaker before anyone else is the name of the game and then reselling it on a site like StockX.com. StockX is the leader in the field and is a billion-dollar business.

Nike has brought two suits against two unrelated resellers for trademark infringement in connection with reselling Nike and Converse products that had been altered. One defendant was Customs By Ilene d/b/a Drip Creationz and the other defendant was Jeffrey Waskowiak and his company, KickRich LLC

Jeffrey Waskowiak is a former Nike employee and his company KickRich made footwear products that combined Nike shoe soles with uppers manufactured by Waskowiak but included design elements of Nike.

The altered sneakers were the Air Jordan 1, Air Force 1 and Converse’s Chuck Taylor All Star. The plaintiff’s argument was that in combining non-genuine parts or other brands’ logos the sneakers could no longer be considered Nike or Converse shoes.