Consumer Protection and E‑Commerce

Estée Lauder has filed a federal lawsuit accusing Walmart of selling counterfeit versions of its branded products on Walmart.com, including Aveda hairbrushes, Clinique creams, La Mer moisturizers, Le Labo fragrances and Tom Ford perfumes. In the complaint, Lauder says it secretly bought and tested items advertised as its products and concluded they did not originate from the company, alleging the goods bore marks 'identical or confusingly similar' to its trademarks. One example shows a Walmart‑sold fragrance called 'Intense Peach' packaged similarly to Tom Ford’s 'Bitter Peach' scent. The suit further claims Walmart knew or should have known it was offering infringing items and does 'very little' to verify authenticity of products sold online. Estée Lauder is seeking monetary damages and a court order blocking Walmart from selling the allegedly counterfeit or otherwise trademark‑infringing goods.