American Eagle Outfitters Sues Amazon for Infringing ‘Aerie’ Trademarks

By Jonathan Stempel

American Eagle Outfitters has filed a lawsuit against Amazon, alleging that the online retail giant has deliberately infringed on its trademarks for the "Aerie" and "Offline by Aerie" brands by guiding customers toward counterfeit products.

In its complaint submitted to a federal court in Manhattan, American Eagle stated it had previously denied Amazon’s request to sell Aerie products on its platform. The retailer emphasized its commitment to establishing a unique identity for Aerie through collaborations with brand ambassadors, such as Olympic gymnast Aly Raisman and singer Kelsea Ballerini.

According to the complaint, after American Eagle cautioned Amazon on August 9 to cease directing shoppers to imitation products, Amazon allegedly responded by using variations of the brand name—like "Aeries" and "Aries"—in its sponsored advertisements to continue the infringement.

The complaint asserts, "AEO protects its brands and cannot allow bad actors like Amazon to confuse and deceive consumers” by leading them to inferior knock-offs and capitalizing on the reputation and popularity of Aerie trademarks.

As of the latest updates, Amazon had not provided any comments following the filing of the lawsuit.

The lawsuit seeks tripled actual damages, punitive damages, and an injunction against further infringement, along with additional remedies.

Aerie was established in 2006, with "Offline by Aerie" introduced in 2020. American Eagle currently operates nearly 1,500 stores.

In the six months ending August 3, Aerie accounted for 32% of the company’s $2.43 billion in net revenue, while the main American Eagle brand represented most of the remainder.

The case is titled American Eagle Outfitters Inc et al v Amazon.com Services LLC et al, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.