The masterminds behind the fraudulent “Supreme” Italia stores have now been sentenced to time behind bars and $10.4 million in damages.
For years, International Brand Firm Ltd. (IBF) worked under first-to-file trademark loopholes. Michele Di Pierro and his son, Marcello, have been recording “Supreme” trademarks in Spain, San Marino, Italy, Indonesia, and Singapore while also creating brick-and-mortar stores in Europe and China to sell their “legal fakes.”
Following a jury trial, circuit Judge Martin Beddoe determined the father and son to be guilty of two counts of fraud. Di Pierro, 53, will serve eight years in prison, while 24-year-old Marcello received three years in jail. Additionally, they were ordered to pay VF Corporation, the real Supreme company, USD 10.4 million in losses. Judge Beddoe says that the two “hijacked every facet of Supreme’s identity and plagiarized it.” He called their operation “offensive” and riddled with “dishonesty.”
Since the two were not in court, arrest warrants were issued following the ruling.
