In a decisive move to combat the global counterfeiting of its branded merchandise, NBA Properties, Inc. has filed a motion in Illinois federal court seeking to extend a temporary restraining order (TRO) and secure a preliminary injunction against multiple e-commerce sellers accused of distributing counterfeit NBA products.
The motion, filed Tuesday, requests that the court extend current enforcement measures beyond the TRO’s May 15 expiration. NBA Properties emphasized the urgent need to freeze the financial assets of the defendants to prevent the potential transfer of funds to offshore accounts.
“There is a high probability that the defendants will continue to harm plaintiff without the TRO in place,” the NBA’s filing stated. “Defendants will likely attempt to move assets from their financial accounts to offshore bank accounts while this motion is pending.”
The court has scheduled a telephonic hearing on the preliminary injunction for May 12.
This action stems from a copyright infringement lawsuit filed by NBA Properties on April 11, targeting a group of foreign e-commerce operators allegedly selling unlicensed and counterfeit goods bearing NBA trademarks, including logos, emblems, and other intellectual property. Many of the accused sellers are believed to be based in China and operate under numerous false storefronts to avoid detection.
The complaint, filed under seal, identifies these operations as “partnerships and unincorporated associations” and accuses them of working in coordination to evade enforcement while misleading consumers.
Since the TRO was granted on April 17, third-party e-commerce platforms have provided information tying aliases to specific financial accounts associated with the sale of knock-off NBA merchandise.
NBA Properties is a founding member of the Coalition to Advance the Protection of Sports logos (CAPS), an anti-counterfeiting initiative led by Trademark Management LLC, aimed at defending the integrity of sports trademarks through global monitoring and enforcement programs.
Legal representation for NBA Properties includes Justin Gaudio, Amy Ziegler, Allyson Martin, and Kahlia Halpern of Greer Burns & Crain Ltd. Counsel for the defendants has not yet been identified.
