Prior to the Avon settlement, Pennsylvania-based Rea.deeming Beauty had already successfully enforced its trademark and seen “the removal of over one thousand infringing and counterfeit product listings on sites such as Amazon, Groupon, eBay, Poshmark and Alibaba,” according to a company press release.
"We hope that our ongoing efforts against Avon and others will send a message to both our customers and would-be infringers that Rea.deeming Beauty is fully committed to aggressively pursuing even the largest companies when they violate our intellectual property rights," says Rea Ann Silva, Rea.deeming Beauty's president and CEO.
Avon concedes
The claim against Avon Products Inc. and Avon Cosmetics Limited was that the company was selling a hot pink makeup sponge applicator that it called “Beauty Blender.”
Avon admitted liability for infringing on the company’s intellectual property rights and compensated the company monetarily for doing so. As part of the beautyblender settlement, Avon has agreed that going forward the company will not infringe on the Rea.deeming Beauty’s product trademark or “pass off its sponge makeup applicators as authentic beautyblender products.”
Protecting the business
Rea.deeming Beauty has for the past few years actively addressed the sale of unauthorized and copycat products. beautyblender.com even has a page dedicated to educating consumers about counterfeits.
“While we appreciate the support of all of our consumers and fans, counterfeit products are on the rise and we want to ensure that you are purchasing a 100% authentic beautyblender product,” reads the page. It goes on to direct consumers to the store locator page, offers tips for confirming a product’s authenticity, and provides an email address where consumers can report counterfeit beautyblender product.
The counterfeit page and the infringement claims are all part of the company’s strategy to hold claim to the market niche it did so much to define when beautyblender first came out in 2005.
“Rea.deeming Beauty has an unsurpassed reputation of providing high-quality, trusted tools, such as the beautyblender makeup sponge, that are coveted and endorsed by professionals and everyday women alike,” affirms Silva in her statement to the press.
“We are 100% committed to ensuring that our customers continue to receive the level of quality they expect and deserve from the beautyblender name.”