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Intellectual PropertyEntertainment Law & FinanceFeatures

What Will Become of ‘Schedule A’ Complaints In Counterfeit Goods Litigations?

By Rob Maier
September 30, 2025

Many companies have been participating in the growing trend of challenging counterfeit products of their goods by filing “Schedule A” lawsuits. These suits are mass actions typically alleging intellectual property infringement and they allow plaintiffs to sue many defendants at once, with the defendants’ names grouped in a “Schedule A” appendix attached to the complaint.

The practice originally developed as a cost-effective way for brand owners to combat bootleg products sold through online marketplaces, mostly by companies based in China. Courts in Florida and New Jersey have seen some increase in these filings, but the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, in particular, has become a hotspot for these cases. Recent “Schedule A” counterfeit-merchandise complaints filed by entertainment companies in the Northern District of Illinois include, for example, lawsuits by DreamWorks Animation, Universal City Studios, Mob Entertainment and Live Nation subsidiary Merch Traffic.

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