F1 suing popular Las Vegas gift shop over alleged sale of fake Grand Prix gear
Formula One is suing the owner of two Las Vegas gift shops, accusing them of selling knockoff items ahead of the 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix.
The lawsuit filed Tuesday in District Court by F1 against the owners of Bonanza Gift Shop and Crazy Ely gift shop alleges trademark counterfeiting, trademark infringement and unfair competition tied to the two shops selling what F1 alleges was counterfeit grand prix gear.
The suit is seeking a jury trial and portions of the profits made from the sale of the gear, attorneys fees and statutory damages of up to $1 million.
Both shops have business licenses that feature Haim Gabay as a managing member. When reached Wednesday for comment, an employee working in the Bonanza Gift Shop office said the person in charge was not in and to send an email request.
The complaint said F1 officials visited Bonanza Gift Shop and Crazy Ely on Nov. 17, 2023, the second day of the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix, and checked to see if both shops were selling knockoff F1 merchandise.
F1 investigators, legal counsel and law enforcement first visited Crazy Ely, ordered the store’s manager to turn over counterfeit merchandise and issued owner Mali Gabay a cease-and-desist order, according to the complaint. Mali Gabay had F1’s counsel speak with one of the owners of the store via phone before 69 counterfeit items were surrendered, the complaint said.
The lawsuit alleges that after the seizure of goods at Crazy Ely, an employee called Bonanza Gift Shop to alert them of the situation and told them to remove all F1/Las Vegas Grand Prix items from the sales floor.
According to the lawsuit, F1 representatives, attorneys and law enforcement visited Bonanza Gift Shop and were told by an employee that they no longer possessed any counterfeit F1 gear, which the lawsuit alleges was a false statement. When asked to speak with the owner of the store, the employee said they weren’t there, though race officials noticed the owner’s car was in the parking lot, the complaint said. F1 officials said they later learned that between June, October and November 2023, Bonanza Gift Shop ordered and received 2,200 counterfeit F1 items and Crazy Ely ordered and received 180 items.
The lawsuit contended that selling the fake F1 gear by the two shops caused F1 irreparable injury because of the sale of the counterfeit gear without their consent.
It is the second lawsuit alleging counterfeit gear tied to the 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix. In May, F1 officials sued E&B Wholesalers Inc. and alleged it produced and sold 516 fake items five months ahead of the 2023 race.
Bonanza Gift Shop was listed as one of the four businesses that allegedly received fake gear from E&B.
The E&B case is ongoing and scheduled for a status report on Oct. 3.
Contact Mick Akers at makers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers on X.
