CreeLED sues Schedule A e-commerce sellers over counterfeit CreeLED products in the Northern District of Illinois: complaint allegations

What was filed

The complaint is Document 1, filed October 14, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division. The case is CreeLED, Inc. v. The Partnerships and Unincorporated Associations Identified on Schedule A, No. 1:26-cv-12604. It runs 18 pages. Schedule A, which lists the seller aliases and online marketplaces, is filed under seal. Exhibit A, which the complaint says contains the registration certificates, is attached to it on the docket. Counsel is Pierson Ferdinand LLP. Jurisdiction is pleaded under the Lanham Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1121, and 28 U.S.C. §§ 1331, 1338, and 1367, and venue under 28 U.S.C. § 1391(b)(2) and (b)(3). CreeLED demands a jury. The docket shows the case assigned to Judge Mary M. Rowland, with Magistrate Judge Karyn L. Bass Ehler designated, and a same-day motion for leave to file certain documents under seal.

The plaintiff and the marks

The complaint says CreeLED, Inc. has its principal place of business in Durham, North Carolina, and, through its predecessor Cree, Inc., has a 30-year track record of innovations. It says CreeLED designs, makes, and sells high-performance LED chips and components, has sold more than 125 million LED products since 2008, and has about $525 million in annual revenue. It lists eleven U.S. registrations as the CreeLED Marks: Nos. 2,440,530; 3,935,628; 3,935,629; 4,641,937; 6,091,202; 5,566,249; 3,935,630; 3,327,299; 3,360,315; 3,014,910; and 5,294,417. USPTO records list all eleven as live registrations owned by CreeLED, Inc., a Delaware corporation. Seven are for CREE: Nos. 2,440,530; 3,935,628; 3,935,629; and 4,641,937 in plain or standard characters, and Nos. 3,935,630; 5,566,249; and 6,091,202 with a diamond design. The other four are CREE LED LIGHT (No. 3,327,299) and CREE LEDS (No. 3,360,315), both in special form, XLAMP (No. 3,014,910), and XM-L (No. 5,294,417). Most cover light emitting diodes and other semiconductor devices in Class 9. No. 3,935,629 covers flashlights and LED lighting fixtures in Class 11, No. 6,091,202 covers flashlights and lights in Class 11 and online retail store services in Class 35, and No. 5,566,249 spans Classes 9, 11, 37, 39, 41, and 42.

What the complaint alleges

It describes the defendants as individuals and business entities of unknown makeup that operate fully interactive e-commerce stores under the Schedule A seller aliases, and it alleges, on information and belief, that they reside or operate in the People's Republic of China or other foreign jurisdictions. It alleges they sell unauthorized CreeLED products to Illinois residents and use images from CreeLED's website, and that many package their products to resemble genuine packaging. It alleges the stores share identifiers that link them to one operation, and that none of the defendants is an authorized CreeLED seller.

Counts and relief

The counts are trademark infringement and counterfeiting under 15 U.S.C. § 1114, false designation of origin under 15 U.S.C. § 1125(a), and violation of the Illinois Uniform Deceptive Trade Practices Act, 815 ILCS 510. The prayer seeks temporary, preliminary, and permanent injunctions, an order that marketplaces such as eBay, AliExpress, Wish.com, and Walmart.com disable the defendants' listings, delivery of infringing goods for destruction, actual or statutory damages at CreeLED's election with trebling under 15 U.S.C. § 1117, attorneys' fees, and costs and fees under 815 ILCS 510/3.