Formula One has filed a lawsuit against two Las Vegas gift shops, Bonanza Gift Shop and Crazy Ely, accusing them of selling fake Las Vegas Grand Prix merchandise. The case, filed in the U.S. District Court for Nevada, includes claims of trademark infringement, trademark counterfeiting, and unfair competition, as reported by News 3 Las Vegas.
Close to the 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix, investigators found stores selling shirts and hoodies with the F1 logo that were not official merchandise. According to KTNV, the shops had ordered about 2,400 questionable items that year. In November, F1’s legal team and police went to Crazy Ely’s with a seize-and-desist letter, and the staff handed over 69 items.
F1 has filed a complaint against Bonanza Gift Shop and Crazy Ely’s, saying an employee warned Bonanza about an investigation, which led to counterfeit F1 merchandise being removed before authorities arrived. The complaint says the stores kept selling the items elsewhere and describes the actions as “willful, intentional, and deliberate acts in violation of” federal trademark law, as mentioned by News 3 Las Vegas. F1’s attorneys are asking for an injunction to stop sales of F1-branded goods, as well as triple the profits and punitive damages. Bonanza and Crazy Ely’s have not commented.
