Product Infringement Notice
Thank you for your support of Zippo. To protect your rights, we recommend that you purchase Zippo lighters through official or authorized channels to ensure product quality and authenticity.
Starting in 2020, Zippo will no longer provide counterfeit verification services for Zippo lighters purchased through unofficial channels. Counterfeit products are of inferior quality and can negatively impact your finances, health, and safety, and may even involve child labor and organized crime.
The following are the details of the product infringement announcement:
While imitation is considered the highest form of flattery, when it comes to consumer goods, it's often more tainted. From electronics and handbags to the iconic and universally recognizable Zippo windproof lighter, nearly every product is subject to counterfeiting. Besides being of inferior quality, counterfeit goods can negatively impact the economy, health, and safety of consumers and communities, and are often linked to child labor and organized crime.
We created this page to educate consumers about Zippo's trademark rights, help them identify counterfeit or infringing Zippo products, and explain the serious problem that counterfeit Zippo products cause in the marketplace. We encourage you to explore this content and help us keep the marketplace clean and free from counterfeit and potentially unsafe products!
Zippo has been manufacturing its famous windproof lighters and other consumer products for over 90 years. During that time, Zippo has made significant investments in building its brand and reputation, and has been honored to earn the trust and admiration of a fan base of collectors and fans like you (like you, reading this page!). We're proud that in the minds of our customers, the word Zippo instantly equates to quality and integrity.
Over the years, Zippo has established extensive trademark rights around the world to protect its image and nearly every feature of its windproof lighters. For example, Zippo has trademark registrations for its internationally recognized word mark, the iconic Hot Wheels logo (flames covering the "i"), and the flame icon. In fact, the courts have even designated the Zippo mark as a famous trademark, an exclusive status reserved only for the most recognized household names!
Furthermore, the iconic shape, chimney pattern, and unmistakable "click" sound of the windproof lighter are all registered trademarks. Did you know that Zippo was one of the first companies to register the sound of its products in many countries?
Zippo also holds trademark rights for its custom lighter decoration service, as well as for some of its most popular decorations, such as the Venetian design. Zippo's protection extends beyond trademark rights: all Zippo lighter decorations are copyrighted, and some windproof lighter features are even patented.
These registrations, combined with Zippo's other intellectual property rights, mean that other parties may not use the Zippo trademark on anything other than genuine Zippo products. It is important that our customers know how to identify knockoff or infringing products and understand the damage these products can cause in the marketplace.
Here are a few ways to identify counterfeit or infringing products:
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Lighters not manufactured by Zippo but marked with the Zippo trademark (either on the product itself or in the product description). Look for signs of Zippo's high quality standards. If you see any low-quality features, spelling errors, or blurred designs, it's likely not a genuine lighter. Familiarize yourself with Zippo's date code system and ensure the markings (if any) are accurate. Finally, if the price of a lighter is too low compared to genuine Zippo lighters, it's likely not made with the high-quality materials and meticulous manufacturing processes that Zippo has refined over the years.
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There are windproof lighters with the same shape as the Zippo logo, but they are not marked with the Zippo trademark. Because Zippo has unique trademark protection for its shape in most countries, other companies cannot sell lighters with the same shape. See the image of Zippo's registered shape below.
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Genuine ZIPPO® brand lighters that have been decorated without Zippo's authorization. Unauthorized decorations may infringe third-party intellectual property rights (if the decoration features another party's trademark or artwork without their approval), contain hazardous materials, or fail to meet Zippo's quality standards.
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Keyword abuse. Keyword abuse is the manipulation of the search and browsing experience on a marketplace/e-commerce site by adding the trademark of another product that is unrelated to the listing to deceive buyers and gain unfair visibility. This is generally a violation of the marketplace/e-commerce rules.
Zippo prides itself on ensuring that all genuine, authorized products meet the highest safety and quality standards. All Zippo windproof lighters meet ASTM F400 and ISO 9994 standards, and all Zippo multi-use and recreational lighters comply with UN 1170 and CFR 49. The following products do not use tar, and Zippo never uses metal products containing toxic substances.