SYDNEY — Interactive Life Forms has filed a lawsuit against the operator of the Sexy World adult store chain in Australia, claiming one of its stores sold bogus Fleshlights to consumers.
Jason Fazey, general manager of Fleshlight Australia Pty Ltd., told XBIZ on Friday that a preliminary hearing next week will be held in Sydney federal court over the intellectual property complaint.
According to Interactive Life Forms’ complaint, Sexy World owner Jos Schoonenberg allegedly stocked the counterfeit products on shelves at its Bundall store.
Sexy World operates five retail stores in Australia as well as an online store.
Interactive Life Forms, which received a U.S. patent for the device in 1999 and has since sold 7 million of them, created its own sting at the Bundall store and found the counterfeit masturbation sleeves with the Fleshlight log emblazoned.
Sexy World, in the suit, said the knock offs were sold last year from at least August to about October.
The chain originally stocked bonafide Fleshlight products, according to the complaint.
Interactive Life Forms has yet to quantify damages and is seeking discovery before estimating how much the company has lost thorough the alleged intellectual property breach.
Settlement matters between the two companies have gone nowhere, according to court records.
"Those attempts to try to reach a negotiated settlement of the claims made against the respondents were not fruitful and ended on Nov. 7," court records said.
