help! need opinions! got a letter from Rolex

[maxdamage]

Hi, a few weeks ago I was trying to sell a collection of old watches on eBay. I listed it as broken and replica watches. Not just Rolex, but a ton of different brands. For like 20 bucks. Very shortly after, it got taken down.

Then just a few days ago, I got both an email and letter from Rolex's law firm, GAF Counsel. They demanded me to stop all sales, provide invoice n profit history, and send them $350. If I don't by the end of May, further action will be taken.

I need opinions, cuz everyone here seems to be on point. Like I said, I never claimed them to be real, the listing never sold, and I have never sold anything Rolex in the past.

I did a search and saw that people have gotten letters in the past, but their situations were different, and no outcomes were ever posted.

Just need some advice. I was banking on a $20 auction....I can't afford $350 lol

 

[Natas78]

Very unwise to sell replicas on ebay, so this might have consequences as they have proof it’s you and you were selling counterfeit items with premeditation. They’re not really Rolex’s lawyers actually, they are just preying on these type of things to make a quick legal buck.

 

[muiramas]

Don’t sell fake watches on eBay because it is obviously illegal regardless of claiming they are genuine or otherwise, and it will get you in deep legal shit.

The $350 is to cover the legal firms admin. Ignore it. They will send another x2 after which you should send a response denying any knowledge of their claims and say also if they continue to harass you then you will seek legal council.

 

[peterpl]

LOL - just ignore it. They wont do anything. They wont chase you over such minuscule amounts. IF you were a big rep seller then yes you would probably get continuous harassment and probably legal action but as a individual dont worry.

 

[rolexppapfan]

some scam stuff

 

[KJ2020]

Just ignore the letters. Save them for archival purposes. Do not respond unless you are served notice to appear in some proceeding, and especially do not threaten them will legal action. They are retained by Rolex and paid to enforce copyright infringement. Not a fight you want to pick.

 

[KJ2020]

BTW if you think $350 is a lot, the max penalty for each instance of selling a counterfeit Rolex is $2 million fine and 10 years in jail.

More info here

https://www.repgeek.com/discuss-general-watch-topics/249321-cease-desist-letter-rolex-hitman.html

 

[sn95]

If you listed it on ebay then it probably was taken down by the VeRO program. For $350 it would cost more to have a lawyer draft a letter than they'll actually get from you. It also doesn't matter that you put down that it was a rep, just the fact that you were trying to sell it is illegal.

 

[maxdamage]

Thank you for all the quick replies.

Yes I cannot claim ignorance, clearly it was wrong, I just didn't think it would catch the attention of Rolex cuz I didn't even put their name in the listing.

I'm just afraid that if I send them $350 or respond with an apology, it'll be an admission of guilt, and will strike me harder. If I don't, then I'm afraid they will take it further, and going up against a company like that? Ouch.

 

[KJ2020]

Thank you for all the quick replies.

Yes I cannot claim ignorance, clearly it was wrong, I just didn't think it would catch the attention of Rolex cuz I didn't even put their name in the listing.

I'm just afraid that if I send them $350 or respond with an apology, it'll be an admission of guilt, and will strike me harder. If I don't, then I'm afraid they will take it further, and going up against a company like that? Ouch.

As I said, don't respond. They are not going to come after a little fish. You didn't actually commit any crime so the case against you now is too weak for them to pursue. They are trying to get you to provide more information and evidence against yourself so they can assess whether you are really are worth coming after. Also to see if you will implicate others. Let it die on the vine, they will stop.

 

[Cicero]

Hi, a few weeks ago I was trying to sell a collection of old watches on eBay. I listed it as broken and replica watches. Not just Rolex, but a ton of different brands. For like 20 bucks. Very shortly after, it got taken down.

Then just a few days ago, I got both an email and letter from Rolex's law firm, GAF Counsel. They demanded me to stop all sales, provide invoice n profit history, and send them $350. If I don't by the end of May, further action will be taken.

I need opinions, cuz everyone here seems to be on point. Like I said, I never claimed them to be real, the listing never sold, and I have never sold anything Rolex in the past.

I did a search and saw that people have gotten letters in the past, but their situations were different, and no outcomes were ever posted.

Just need some advice. I was banking on a $20 auction....I can't afford $350 lol

Please send me a PM and a copy of the letter via PM. Do NOT respond to the letter. As previously stated, selling replica watches on eBay is stupid. The have a VeRO program for intellectual property rights owners. It’s actually nice to see something is being done to curtail the garbage that is posted on eBay.

 

[Nivka]

I say take them on and put the whole system on trial

 

[peterpl]

i say take them on and put the whole system on trial

lmfao

 

[xartan]

Yeah haha.

I once got a letter from a lawyer when I bought a Rolex rep which was held in customs. But I just said I didn’t know anything about it and then they asked me to give permission to destroy the watch which I did. The TD sent a replacement via uk triangle shipping.

I think for small fish they mostly try to scare people and maintain a zero rep tolerance image.

 

[Tennesseehorn]

Was this Law Firm based in Nigeria?

 

[DC109]

This is clearly a scam, and the "law firm" (it's not a law firm) has no relationship with any real watch company, let alone Rolex. Rolex has $4.5 billion in annual revenue. I promise you the attorneys they use charge a minimum of $500 per hour, but probably a lot more. In the history of law, no legitimate firm servicing major companies has sought fees from targets of legal proceedings. Real law firms try to collect substantial sums for their clients, and then charge the clients on a contingency basis or by hours of work.

The letter you got is from a guy trawling eBay and sending Nigerian prince-style scam messages to fake sellers. It's best not to respond, but you can also tell this clown to fuck right off, and he can't do anything about it.

 

[KJ2020]

This is clearly a scam, and the "law firm" (it's not a law firm) has no relationship with any real watch company, let alone Rolex. Rolex has $4.5 billion in annual revenue. I promise you the attorneys they use charge a minimum of $500 per hour, but probably a lot more. In the history of law, no legitimate firm servicing major companies has sought fees from targets of legal proceedings. Real law firms try to collect substantial sums for their clients, and then charge the clients on a contingency basis or by hours of work.

The letter you got is from a guy trawling eBay and sending Nigerian prince-style scam messages to fake sellers. It's best not to respond, but you can also tell this clown to fuck right off, and he can't do anything about it.

Totally disagree with this post. Read the letter in this post. Look at who signed it. Angelo Mazza is the real deal. No law firm would claim to be "general counsel to Rolex U.S.A." if it wasn't true, or they would be subject to legal action by Rolex.

https://www.repgeek.com/discuss-general-watch-topics/249321-cease-desist-letter-rolex-hitman.html

Mazza and his firm are not people whose radar you want to be on.

https://anticounterfeitingsummit.iqp...s/angelo-mazza

Folks, this is no laughing matter.

Cicero Comment welcome

 

[xymox]

You can ignore anything from a lawyer. It only gets real of you get served with a lawsuit l.

 

[xymox]

So don't get served. And they can't sue for damages if you never caused Rolex to suffer a loss. They have a big hill to climb to prove they were damaged.

 

[KJ2020]

You can ignore anything from a lawyer. It only gets real of you get served with a lawsuit l.

Sure you can. You can even refuse the certified letter from Mazza's GAF law firm since you already know what it says, word for word.

My point was letters from this firm are not a hoax or scam. If you get one, your illegal activity has been recorded by people paid to try to hold you legally accountable for it. It should serve as a wake up call to remind you of the very real risks we take in this hobby.