BIC Corporation has filed six federal lawsuits against California gas stations, vape shops, and wholesalers, accusing them of selling counterfeit pocket lighters bearing the company’s logos and designs.
The lawsuits, filed October 23, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, target businesses accused of distributing imitation products through retail and wholesale channels. BIC Corporation and BIC USA Inc. brought the cases under federal trademark law.
Among the defendants are Anabi Oil Corporation, which operates Rebel Stores, HI LIFE LA, MYK Trading LLC, doing business as Socal Distro, and Silver Moon Wholesale LLC. Separate complaints name Virgo Wholesale Inc., operating as A to Z House of Hemp, and Omicaa Trade Inc. Several filings also name individual business operators.
BIC alleges the businesses sold lighters carrying unauthorized copies of its protected branding. Federal trademark law allows companies to pursue sellers and distributors of counterfeit goods, including retailers that obtained the products from outside suppliers.
The latest filings follow a $1 million judgment BIC secured in February in another California federal trademark case. U.S. District Judge Mónica Ramírez Almadani found that Mahide Rahman had willfully infringed the company’s trademarks by selling and distributing counterfeit BIC-branded lighters.
The court awarded $500,000 for each of two infringed trademarks and permanently barred Rahman from selling, distributing, or otherwise handling products bearing unauthorized copies of BIC’s protected marks. The judgment also raised a broader concern behind the company’s enforcement efforts: counterfeit lighters may lack safety features built into genuine BIC products.
California has also tightened its rules on imitation lighters. A state law that took effect January 1 prohibits the sale or distribution of counterfeit lighters that infringe intellectual property rights, along with products that fail specified safety standards. The law includes exceptions for certain warehouse storage and interstate transportation.
BIC’s six new lawsuits seek to stop the named California retailers and distributors from selling products that allegedly misuse its trademarks. Court records show the company requested summonses for the defendants when the complaints were filed.
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