Trademark Disputes
One of the world's biggest-selling disposable vape brands, ELFBAR, is changing its name in the United States due to a trademark infringement lawsuit. The brand will now be called EBDESIGN in the U.S. market, but the ELFBAR name will continue to be used in the UK and other international markets. The parent company of ELFBAR, Shenzhen iMiracle Technology Co. Ltd., is being sued by VPR Brands, a Florida-based company that claims to have rights to the "Elf" brand for vaping products in the U.S. VPR has also sued several U.S. master distributors of ELFBAR products.
District Court Judge Aileen Cannon granted VPR's motion for a preliminary injunction, preventing iMiracle from importing ELFBAR-branded products and their master distributors from selling them while the case is argued. Retailers and distributors not named in the lawsuit are not in legal jeopardy if they continue to sell existing ELFBAR stock, but iMiracle is no longer shipping ELFBAR-branded products to the U.S., and the master distributors are no longer supplying them.
The ELF and ELFBAR trademarks, as well as VPR's ELF-brand vapes, are at the center of the legal dispute. VPR Brands applied for a trademark for the name ELF in 2017, under the categories "Electronic cigarette lighters; Electronic cigarettes; Smokeless cigarette vaporizer pipe." The mark was registered in 2018. In September 2022, VPR applied for a trademark for an "ELF" logo.
Counterfeits
Counterfeit ELFBARs have been a problem since the brand launched, and iMiracle has gone to extraordinary lengths to combat the problem. The company has "cracked down on more than 120 counterfeit production and sales targets, including factories, warehouses, logistics, and foreign trade companies, seizure of more than 2 million finished counterfeit ELFBAR products, millions of packaging boxes, anti-counterfeit codes, semi-finished vaping pipes and other accessories."
Consumers should be cautious about ELFBAR-branded products sold in retail stores in the U.S. market, as legitimate ELFBAR imports have stopped, and distributors have almost no stock on hand. It's simple to verify ELFBAR authenticity with QR codes, but the company also provides a form to report retailers selling fake ELFBARs.
As a reputable online retailer of vaping products, VapinUSA takes product authenticity seriously and only stocks products from trusted manufacturers and suppliers. This includes the popular disposable vape brand ELFBAR. In light of the recent trademark infringement lawsuit and subsequent name change in the United States, VapinUSA ensures that it only stocks authentic products that comply with all applicable laws and regulations. Customers can shop with confidence knowing that they are purchasing legitimate ELFBAR products from VapinUSA.
