A lawsuit filed in the Eastern District of New York accuses two companies of engaging in a scheme to manipulate product pricing on online marketplaces. Triplenet Pricing, LLC filed the complaint against Bear Down Brands, LLC and Sprig Technologies, Ltd. on January 2, 2025.
The plaintiff alleges that the defendants are submitting false reports of intellectual property infringement to platforms like Amazon to stifle competition and inflate prices for consumers.
The complaint states that Bear Down Brands and Sprig Technologies have orchestrated a plan to control product distribution and pricing unlawfully. The defendants allegedly filed fraudulent intellectual property infringement reports against third-party sellers, including Triplenet Pricing, resulting in the suspension of their selling privileges on Amazon.
"Defendants’ actions cause consumers to pay more for common goods," the complaint says, noting that the conduct undermines competitive pricing policies and harms both consumers and businesses.
Triplenet Pricing operates as a reseller of consumer products through its Amazon storefront. The company says it acquires genuine products from reputable sources and resells them at competitive prices.
However, Triplenet Pricing claims its business has been negatively impacted by the defendants' actions. The lawsuit outlines several instances where Bear Down Brands and Sprig Technologies allegedly filed false complaints with Amazon, accusing Triplenet Pricing of selling counterfeit goods without basis.
The plaintiff argues these actions damage its reputation and interfere with its contractual relationship with Amazon.
"Defendants intentionally and improperly interfered with Plaintiff's advantageous and contractual relationship with Amazon," the filing states.
Triplenet Pricing also accuses the defendants of violating federal antitrust laws under the Sherman Antitrust Act by conspiring to fix prices and eliminate competition.
Triplenet Pricing is seeking several forms of relief, including declaratory judgments affirming they have not infringed intellectual property rights, injunctions preventing further false complaints, retraction of existing complaints, compensatory damages for defamation and tortious interference, and punitive damages for antitrust violations.
Solomon E. Antar of Antar Law Firm PLLC in Brooklyn, New York, represents Triplenet Pricing. The case is identified as 1:25-cv-00004-JAM.