Samsung Dragged Into Supreme “Counterfeit” Row
Korean technology giant Samsung appear to be endorsing what has been described as a “Counterfeit” brand by partnering with a Company who has been accused of “ripping off” the hip, New York City-based streetwear fashion brand Supreme in China.
In China the brand is extremely popular, but the only problem is that Samsung’s marketing deal is with a Company that has exploited China’s lack of intellectual property laws that allow Companies to simply copy a US brand an issue the US President Donald Trump is currently discussing with Chinese Government officials.
The deal was announced at a Samsung event in China when it was revealed that the Supreme brand was set to enter the Chinese market.
The only problem was that the two Supreme CEOs were appeared alongside Samsung officials were not from the genuine US company but from an Italian Company who is looking to trade off the back of the success of the US brand.
At the Samsung event for their Galaxy A8s the audience were told by executives from the Supreme knock of Company that they plan to build a seven-story flagship store in Beijing.
The Italian Company appear to be exploiting a loophole after it was revealed that the US company has not actually registered their name in China.
It appears that in a few places around the world, including in Italy the brand has not been IP registered.
An entity calling itself Supreme Italia is the Company Samsung is actually working with.
Samsung has acknowledged that they know it’s not working with the real one.
The New York Post said that the real Supreme brand didn’t take this news quietly.
A statement issued by the US Company said, “Supreme is not working with Samsung, opening a flagship location in Beijing or participating in a Mercedes-Benz runway show,” reads a statement put out by the US-based company.
“These claims are blatantly false and propagated by a counterfeit organization.”
The Murdoch owned New York Post said “China, of course, has a famously devil-may-care attitude toward intellectual property. To a much lesser extent, so does Samsung. And so, does Supreme, for that matter, which has been accused of cribbing the inspiration for its designs from artist Barbara Kruger.
Then in a stinging rebuke of Samsung the publication said, “We all know about the patent and related infringement cases Samsung has likewise been involved with”, referring to Samsung’s battle with Apple.
The US Company added “We have to do business with this knockoff version of Supreme because the US entity doesn’t have a presence in China. “We are collaborating with Supreme Italia, not Supreme NYC,” Lau wrote.
“Supreme NYC has no sales and marketing authorization in China, but Supreme Italia has obtained product sales and market authorizations in the Asia Pacific region (except Japan).”
What’s not known is whether Supreme Italia plans to launch in Australia which falls under the Asia Pacific authorization.
One observer told ChannelNews “This is a US Company who failed to get their global business model right and now they are whinging”.
The New York Post in an effort to rub salt into a wound hit out at Samsung claiming “All of this comes on the heels of some similar bits of recent news that likewise attach a bit of additional, shall we say, inauthenticity to Samsung.
Earlier this month, the company was caught using an iPhone to promote its Galaxy Note 9 on Twitter. Not long after that, Samsung was busted for pretending a stock image taken with a DSLR was captured by its own camera phone. And now this”
The publication was referring to Samsung’s Malaysian arm who in an effort to show off the Galaxy A8 Star’s “amazing” photo retouching abilities, used a cleverly shot portrait, modified it and then ostensibly passed it off as one taken by the A8. The only problem is that the image was actually shot by Serbian photographer Dunja Djudjic, the image was sold to Samsung by Getty Images.
