Whirlpool Corporation Takes Action To Ensure Fair Online Shopping Experiences

Whirlpool Corporation and Sellersburg Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc. have resolved litigation relating to Sellersburg’s online sales of third-party appliance replacement parts and accessories that Whirlpool alleged gave consumers a mistaken impression that the products were affiliated with Whirlpool Corporation.

When a consumer shops online for a genuine Whirlpool replacement part or accessory, they need to be able to trust that the product they receive will deliver the performance they expect from our brands.”

“Our brands convey our promise to consumers to provide high quality products,” said Doug Searles, General Manager of the Consumer Products Group at Whirlpool Corporation. “When a consumer shops online for a genuine Whirlpool replacement part or accessory, they need to be able to trust that the product they receive will deliver the performance they expect from our brands.”

After the lawsuit was filed, Sellersburg took steps to modify its online advertisements to make clearer to consumers that the third-party parts and accessories being offered for sale were not affiliated with or endorsed by Whirlpool Corporation. As part of the settlement agreement, Sellersburg has agreed to pay Whirlpool Corporation an undisclosed monetary amount and committed to instituting new business practices to ensure that its future online product listings would not infringe Whirlpool’s intellectual property.

“We greatly respect the intellectual property rights of others and appreciate that we were able to resolve this matter amicably,” said a representative from Sellersburg.

“We invest heavily in ensuring that consumers have a fair online shopping experience where they can confidently purchase Whirlpool products,” Searles said. “We appreciate Sellersburg’s commitments to take additional steps to ensure consumers can have confidence about what they are purchasing.”