IBM sues seller over alleged fake ThinkPad batteries
Power packs claimed to be a fire-risk too
IBM has accused a New York-based spare computer parts company of trademark infringement in a bid to stop the firm selling what it alleges are dangerous fakes. It's demanding $1m for each claimed counterfeit use of its logos.
In a lawsuit filed with the US District Court for Northern Ohio this month, IBM claims that Shentech.com is "offering counterfeit IBM products which pose a substantial threat to the safety of the consuming public".
Big Blue bases its allegations on the experiences of an Ohio consumer who bought a battery from Shentech.com to use in a Lenovo-made ThinkPad laptop. The battery subsequently caught fire, damaging the notebook. The buyer complained to Lenovo, which in turn told IBM.
The buyer maintains the replacement power-pack was sold as a genuine ThinkPad battery, but IBM alleges in the lawsuit that its investigation of the explosion revealed that the branded battery was not one it had made. To check, it ordered 12 more batteries from Shentech.com and discovered they were all fakes, the lawsuit states.
"Each battery was analysed," the complaint alleges. "Each battery is a counterfeit product."
The lawsuit asks the court to force Shentech.com to hand over all allegedly fake IBM batteries for safe disposal, along with all the profits the reseller has made from selling them. The computer giant wants to be awarded triple damages - amounting to $1m for each IBM-onwed trademark on each item said to be a counterfeit.
COMMENTS
fakes are fakes
Hi, all laptop batteries have s/n so IBM will know if they produced it along with dates of manufacture.
comment title required
"The lawsuit asks the court to force Shentech.com to hand over all allegedly fake IBM batteries for safe disposal, along with all the profits the reseller has made from selling them."
If they need help disposing of all those profits, I'd be more than willing to help.
As always
As always everyone loves a bargain and the cheapest is the best!
You pays your money and takes your choice !
Or perhaps it was a dastardly conspiracy ploy by you know who behind the last great flaming battery recall to discredit it's more advanced rivals ?
People are stupid...
IBM/Lenovo is and will for the time being only sell trough its limited and very controlled channels. They would never sell new products through a dodgy website.
I love calling the IBM helpdesk for Thinkpads, they are nice and competent. Wanted to point that out, I really like these guys. they sound like Miro/Turtle beach engineers in the late 90s, which was my reference before calling Lenovo (I am not implying they got bad, I am just not using their products anymore)
So ... how do we tell real from counterfeit?
Is there any way to tell a real IBM battery from counterfeit, other than waiting for it to blow up? I haven't bought anything directly from Shentech, but that doesn't mean my company's IT shop hasn't gone looking for better deals!
The flame seemed appropriate ...
