Drugstore.com Named In Lawsuit Over Knock-Off Sex Toys

Opting not to buy into name brand hype can be cheaper, but in the case of one company that manufactures vibrators, knockoffs might mean a legal battle. A Canadian company claims that Walgreen’s online-only entity Drugstore.com is importing knockoff sex toys and selling them in the U.S.

BusinessWeek says Walgreen Co. has been named in a U.S. trade agency complaint involving a product called the We-Vibe. The complaint wants to stop competitors from shipping knock-offs into the U.S.

The real We-Vibe has some swanky street cred, as it has sold more than 1 million devices and was distributed in gift bags for celebs at the 2009 and 2010 Oscars, as well as Superbowl XLV.

We-Vibe’s manufacturers, Standard Innovation, claim that the copies on Drugstore.com are infringing on two of their patents. The complaint has been lobbed against four manufacturers, four distributors and 11 retailers in the U.S.

We’re not sure which of the 706 products we found when searching Drugstore.com are the alleged knock-offs, so we’ll leave that up to you to investigate if you feel the need.

Walgreen’s Drugstore.com Accused of Selling Knockoff Sex Toys [BusinessWeek]

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