Boston-based trade group charges Amazon is pulling the wool over consumers' eyes, sues

A Back Bay enactment that represents companies astir the satellite that marque cashmere covering makers astir the satellite contiguous sued Amazon and a New Jersey institution it charges are selling acrylic scarves arsenic "100% cashmere."

In a trademark suit filed successful US District Court successful Boston, the Cashmere and Camel Hair Manufacturers Institute says it bought 14 allegedly Scottish cashmere scarves connected Amazon and recovered that they were, successful fact, not made successful Scotland and were 100% acrylic, which the institute derides arsenic "a petroleum-based, synthetic fibre that is overmuch cheaper, little lukewarm and much flammable than Cashmere, and contains harmful chemicals specified arsenic dimethylformamide and acrylonitrile that are not contiguous successful Cashmere."

The institute is asking a justice to bid Amazon and the third-party vendor to halt advertizing non-cashmere products arsenic cashmere and to wage damages nether the Massachusetts consumer-protection law.

One usually doesn't subordinate Boston with cashmere, fto unsocial camel hair, but the institute is headquartered connected St. James Avenue - connected the different broadside of the satellite from the Mongolian and Manchurian steppes wherever farmers rise the goats that nutrient cashmere.

Uxbridge, retired by I-495, though, played a cardinal relation successful the US cashmere industry, erstwhile successful 1820, John Capron built the archetypal powerfulness woolen mill successful the US, which helium utilized to crook retired cashmere and blended-cashmere products. The Bachmann Uxbridge Worsted Corp. that grew connected the tract yet became 1 of the largest woolen manufacturers successful the country.

Complete complaint (5M PDF).