Ellis George, on behalf of Weekend Warrior Clothing, LLC dba www.officialusadrinkingteam.com, has filed an intellectual property lawsuit against Amazon’s print-on-demand service, Merch by Amazon. Founded by Daniel and Tim Whelan in a small closet office, Weekend Warrior has built a thriving online apparel brand recognized for its original, humorous, and often patriotic pop culture-related, copyrighted designs. However, as Weekend Warrior’s popularity grew, it began to confront an existential threat – online infringement. In particular, after releasing a new design, Weekend Warrior saw almost instantaneously a proliferation of counterfeit products being sold on Merch by Amazon. DMCA takedown notices from Weekend Warrior to Amazon were categorically ignored or rejected. Weekend Warrior retained Ellis George – which has filed suits against a variety of print-on-demand companies, including Redbubble, Zazzle, Teepublic, and more – to sue Merch by Amazon for what appeared to be deliberate, systematic infringement.
A more detailed description of the allegations against Merch by Amazon, as well as a visual comparison of the original and infringing designs, can be found here [link to complaint]. The case is Weekend Warrior Clothing, LLC v. Amazon.com Services, LLC, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio Case No. 23-cv-00752.
