Wayfair Imitates West Elm Designs, Infringes Patents, Suit Says

Williams-Sonoma Inc. hit Wayfair Inc. with patent infringement and false advertising claims for allegedly imitating furniture sold by its West Elm brand.

Wayfair and its brand AllModern deliberately infringe nine Williams-Sonoma design patents on chairs, lamps, and tables, the complaint filed Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts alleges.

Williams-Sonoma says the similarities aren’t an accident but part of a “targeted effort.” Wayfair launched an entire product line described as “West Elm-inspired” while also calling the line unique or exclusive to Wayfair, it alleges.

Numerous products sold by Wayfair “are so highly similar to West Elm’s ...