Chanel files Internet trademark lawsuit in Vegas

Chanel Inc. has filed a sweeping cyberpiracy and trademark infringement lawsuit in Las Vegas against 399 websites it accuses of selling counterfeit items bearing the luxury retailer's trademark.

The civil lawsuit filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Nevada seeks unspecified damages from unnamed operators of websites that the New York-based company says operate from China, the Bahamas or other overseas jurisdictions with lax trademark enforcement systems.

The lawsuit was first reported in the Las Vegas Sun.

The 32-page complaint seeks an injunction barring the defendants from selling counterfeit goods including handbags, wallets, shoes, boots, sunglasses, scarves, tee shirts, watches and jewelry bearing the Chanel name.

The company says offending websites use keyword optimization methods to show up atop Google and Yahoo search engine lists.