Judge orders distributor to stop selling counterfeit Leviton products

Responding to the increasing problem of counterfeit electrical products, a Los Angeles Federal Court Judge recently entered a judgment enforcing Little Neck, N.Y.-based Leviton’s patent and calling for a permanent injunction against Orbit Electric and Regent Electric, Los Angeles-based resellers of counterfeit GFCIs. The case is the first to be ruled on out of the nearly 20 lawsuits brought by Leviton against similar companies.

According to a press release, the company is pursuing these cases not only to protect its intellectual property, but because in many instances the products are faulty or do not offer the protection they claim to. “Because the patent-infringing products are made to look just like Leviton products, they deceive everyone, from the buyer to the installer to the consumer,” says William Marshall, vice president of marketing and product development.

The company has also taken out advertisements in the trade press that point out the differences between imitations and authentic devices.