Murad, Inc. has filed a United States Federal Court lawsuit against the owners and operators of Strawberrynet.com, a website based in Hong Kong which sells cosmetics and other skin care products to customers worldwide.

Because Strawberry has no authorized relationship with Murad, it diverts Murad’s products from others and then sells them on its website. In the lawsuit, Murad alleges that many of the Murad products sold on the site have been defaced, meaning someone has stripped them of Murad’s quality-control tracking features such as hologram protection seals and unique batch codes. Murad uses those tracking features to protect the public from counterfeit goods, health risks, and other serious harms.

Murad’s tracking features help prevent tampering, help Murad track its products through the stream of commerce, help customers communicate with Murad about the products that they have bought, and indicate to the public that the products they have bought from Murad’s trusted vendors are genuine, authentic, non-counterfeit, and subject to Murad’s quality control program. In the lawsuit, therefore, Murad seeks an injunction to stop Strawberrynet.com from further such conduct, so that the public can be protected and the integrity of the Murad brand can be safeguarded.

“Murad is focused on giving its customers only the best possible products,” said Richard Murad, General Manager for Murad, Inc. “When you buy a Murad product from an authorized retailer, either domestically or internationally, you know the product has been subjected to Murad’s top notch quality control procedures and meets Dr. Murad’s high standards. Our relationships with trusted retailers such as Sephora, Ulta, Massage Envy, and numerous spas and salons around the world validate our mission to deliver quality merchandise through trusted authorized retail outlets. This will not change, and we will continue to take legal action against anyone who threatens Murad’s brand integrity or otherwise poses a risk to the public.”

As of the filing date of the lawsuit, it appears that Strawberrynet.com, which has no authorized relationship with Murad, is selling over 80 Murad products from 9 Murad lines on the Strawberry.net website.

Murad, Inc. was founded in 1989 by Howard Murad. M.D., one of the world's foremost authorities on health care and a pioneer of the clinical skincare movement. Dr. Murad is a practicing physician at the Murad Inclusive Health Medical Group in El Segundo, Calif. where he pioneered the Inclusive Health approach to optimal living based on the Science of Cellular Water, Dr. Murad's unified theory of health and aging. Murad products are sold in 46 countries and it is the #1 selling clinical skincare brand at leading salon and spa locations worldwide.