Hao is accused of facilitating a fraud scheme involving thousands of deceptive trademark registrations and removal requests. She allegedly allowed her signature to be used by Shenzhen Growth Network Co. and other Chinese entities for fraudulent filings with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The case is pending in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington. Hao previously received a six-month suspension from practicing before the PTO in 2022 for improper signature usage, and her associated firm, Seller Growth, was barred from engaging with the PTO that same year.
The lawsuit centers on alleged misuse of Amazon's Brand Registry program, which protects intellectual property. Amazon's prior motion to dismiss Hao's initial arguments succeeded, with the company noting those arguments contained "artificial intelligence-generated hallucinations." Attorneys should monitor this case as a potential bellwether for how courts treat AI-assisted legal filings and whether procedural dismissals will terminate the fraud allegations before trial.