Peak Design claims Amazon copied its Everyday Sling bag

Peak Design, a maker of fine cases and accessories, has a problem: Amazon seems to have copied its popular case, the $ 99.95 Everyday Sling, with its own $ 32.99 Amazon Basics camera bag. It’s even been called Everyday Sling until Peak Design’s video. Instead of doing something drastic, Peak Design decided to make a video about what customers “earn” by purchasing Amazon’s version.

In the video, the case of Peak is clearly set out: the bags are similarly shaped with bags, labels and straps in exactly the same places. If someone is not familiar with the bags of Peak Design, I would probably confuse it if I had not read on the label ‘Peak Design’.

Image: peak design

Peak presents it all humorously, but the evidence is surprisingly blatant, which makes Amazon’s apparent decision to change its Amazon Basics version from “Everyday Sling” to “Amazon Basics Camera Bag” all the more suspicious. There is even evidence: ‘Everyday Sling’ is still in the URL for the ‘Camera Bag’.

Peak Design is not the first smaller company that Amazon is trying to resist. When Allbirds discovered that Amazon was selling what looked like a very obvious Allbirds clone, the company’s CEO wrote a media report criticizing Amazon, even though he claimed he was ‘flattered’ by the similarities between the shoes. Amazon copying did not stop there. The company is also accused of cloning car and seat cushion organizers.

The whole trend has only drawn attention to a possible antitrust issue that has long worried the critics of the company, as well as legislators and regulators. The basic problem: Amazon owns and operates its e-commerce platform and also manages an ever-growing list of internal brands competing on the same platform against Amazon’s own third-party Marketplace sellers.

The theory of competition is in theory just as simple as seeing what sells well, creating a similar, cheaper product and then introducing it to Amazon buyers. In fact, this situation is at the heart of an investigation by the European Union into the company’s operations, which led the European Commission to accuse Amazon of “systematically” using its sales data to unfairly discriminate against its own dealers last November. to compete in France and Germany.

According to Amazon, there is a policy to prevent third-party seller data from being used for products, but to be reported The Wall Street Journal suggests that it still happened. As Under notes that even former CEO Jeff Bezos could not confirm whether the policy was violated during the House Judiciary Committee’s investigation into Amazon’s monopolistic status.

In the case of Peak Design, the company said in a statement The edge he believes Amazon actually infringed on his intellectual property, but preferred to make the video to highlight the differences between the products and does not intend to take legal action now.

Reviews are currently being eliminated on Amazon’s pocket because the company notes ‘unusual review activity’. If we look at some of the latest reviews, customers who refer directly to the video from Peak Design are some of the lowest ratings. With Amazon’s decision to change the product’s name, it looks like Peak Design has struck a chord.

The edge contacted Amazon about the claim from Peak Design and we will stay informed when we receive response.