Lifestyle owned UK and EU trade marks for Beverly Hills Polo Club. It complained that Amazon's US website marketed and sold US-branded goods to UK consumers. Amazon argued that the relevant listings were not targeted at the UK.
Selected cases
UK Supreme Court · [2024] UKSC 8
Lifestyle Equities CV v Amazon UK Services Ltd
The UK Supreme Court considered whether Amazon's US website targeted UK consumers for trade mark infringement purposes.
UK Supreme Court6 Mar 2024
Plain-English explainers, not legal advice. Use the linked official source for section-level detail, and get advice for your situation.
Get legal helpStart here
Quick read
- Cross-border ecommerce teams should not assume that a foreign website stays legally foreign.
- The UK Supreme Court considered whether Amazon's US website targeted UK consumers for trade mark infringement purposes.
Use this to check
- Run trade mark clearance for target markets
- Review marketplace listings and delivery settings
- Do not rely only on the domain name to define the territory of sale
Decision snapshot
What happened
- Lifestyle owned UK and EU trade marks for Beverly Hills Polo Club.
- It complained that Amazon's US website marketed and sold US-branded goods to UK consumers.
- Amazon argued that the relevant listings were not targeted at the UK.
What the court had to decide
- The issue was whether the online listings, purchase journey and delivery options amounted to use of the sign in the UK or EU.
What the court decided
- The Supreme Court held that the relevant use targeted UK consumers.
- The decision shows that online selling can create territorial trade mark exposure even where the website is operated from another market.
Practical impact
Practical read
- Cross-border ecommerce teams should not assume that a foreign website stays legally foreign.
- Currency, delivery, checkout wording, search results and customer targeting can matter.
Useful next steps
- Run trade mark clearance for target markets
- Review marketplace listings and delivery settings
- Do not rely only on the domain name to define the territory of sale
How businesses should read it
Cross-border ecommerce teams should not assume that a foreign website stays legally foreign. Currency, delivery, checkout wording, search results and customer targeting can matter.
Key takeaways
- Run trade mark clearance for target markets
- Review marketplace listings and delivery settings
- Do not rely only on the domain name to define the territory of sale