In this case of counterfeit products, Apple has filed a lawsuit against Mobile Star which is a supplier to Amazon and has accused the company of trademark and copyright infringement. (Reuters)

Global tech giant Apple has revealed that most of the iPhone and iPad charging cables and adapters available on Amazon are fake, even if they claim to be genuine. In this case of counterfeit products, Apple has filed a lawsuit against Mobile Star which is a supplier to Amazon and has accused the company of trademark and copyright infringement, according to Patently Apple. Apple, in order to check and perform safety tests, bought many chargers from Mobile Star and found out that the products were ‘poorly constructed’ and had components either missing or of an inferior quality. They found that the design was dangerously flawed without proper insulation. Amazon has a good reputation of being trustworthy for the products available on its website, which made consumers believe that the iPhone charges were real. The fact that the charging components were sold using Apple’s logo and images, also added to the trust.

Apple bought more than 100 iPhone devices, chargers and Lightning cables from Amazon which were especially put under the ‘genuine’ category. After testing Apple revealed that majority of them were fake and dangerous and that the devices could catch fire and give fatal shocks to users even when used normally, mainly because of ‘inadequate electrical insulation’. One of the fake power adapter products even had Amazon Standard Identification Number (ASIN) B012YEWP2K, though that product page was deleted by Amazon, but Apple took a screenshot before they could do so. The title for that product was: “Apple 5W USB Wall Charger Power Adapter with 1m Lightning Cable for iPhone 5/5c/5s/6/6 Plus”, Forbes reported. The price of that product was listed at $9.35 for Amazon Prime users and the description said “Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.”

Meanwhile, Apple in its lawsuit said, “Over the last nine months, Apple, as part of its ongoing brand protection efforts, has purchased well over 100 iPhone devices, Apple power products, and Lightning cables sold as genuine by sellers on Amazon.com and delivered through Amazon’s “Fulfillment by Amazon” program. Apple’s internal examination and testing for these products revealed almost 90% of these products are counterfeit. Apple is concerned that consumers are being deceived into purchasing counterfeit products on Amazon.com and elsewhere in the mistaken belief that they are purchasing genuine Apple products.”

Mobile Star also sold ‘dangerous counterfeit Apple power’ products through the e-commerce platform Groupon. After the notification by Apple, Amazon has now removed such products from its website.