Williams-Sonoma Accuses Dupe.com of Deceptive and Infringing Ads

The operator of website Dupe.com infringed Williams-Sonoma Inc.'s product photos with social media ads that falsely disparage its brands to manufacture outrage over a purported “furniture price scam,” the home retail giant said in a federal lawsuit.

Dupe.com without authorization used furniture images that took Williams-Sonoma’s creative professionals hundreds of hours to create to promote its search tool claiming to find duplicate goods for lower prices, the retail company said in a complaint filed in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Williams-Sonoma owns brands West Elm, Pottery Barn, and Mark and Graham, according to the ...