Judge Grants Sound United Rights to Electronically Serve Legal Papers on Amazon Merchant

U.S. Magistrate Judge Donald Cabell in Boston granted Sound United’s motion Friday to serve its trademark infringement complaint and summons on an Amazon third-party seller electronically. The merchant's ability to “mask its identity through the anonymity afforded by the Internet” has rendered Sound United “unable to locate a physical address for Defendant to effectuate traditional service,” said Sound United’s Dec. 20 motion (in Pacer). The online merchant, which goes by the name “audio video sales guy” (AVSG), is selling Sound United products on Amazon without authorization, said a Dec. 18 complaint (in Pacer). Cabell’s order (in Pacer) authorized Sound United to serve AVSG the legal papers through the same Amazon email service the online merchant uses to communicate with customers. Attempts to reach AVSG Friday through its Amazon mailbox were unsuccessful. Amazon, which isn't a party to Sound United’s complaint, didn’t comment.