A federal judge in Ohio has ruled that Amazon must face trial on claims that its Merch on Demand service directly and vicariously infringed an apparel company's copyrights. The October 14 opinion allows those two theories of liability to proceed, rejecting Amazon's bid to escape them entirely.
The court, however, dismissed the plaintiff's contributory-infringement claim. That means the apparel company can still argue Amazon itself engaged in infringement or profited from it while controlling the activity, but not that Amazon materially assisted a third party's infringement.
The ruling narrows the case while keeping Amazon exposed at trial. The specific designs and business practices at issue were not detailed in the available summary, but the decision highlights how courts may treat platform-operated print-on-demand services under copyright law.