1-800 Contacts Inc., which says it’s the world’s largest contact lens retailer, was accused of antitrust violations in a Las Vegas lawsuit Monday.
Missouri-based competitor Lens.com filed the suit in U.S. District Court for Nevada, where Lens.com is incorporated.
Lens.com also does business as justlens.com and justlenses.com. It owns the trademarks "1-800 LENS.COM" and "1-800-GET-LENS".
Lens.com, based in Louisiana, Mo., about 70 miles north of St. Louis, charged 1-800 Contacts has "engaged in a host of anticompetitive practices to obtain or maintain its market dominance."
These allegedly include censoring or impeding information consumers receive, manufacturing fictional trademark rights and hitting competitors with frivolous trademark infringement lawsuits.
A request for comment on the suit was placed with 1-800 Contacts, which is based in Draper, Utah, in the Salt Lake City area.
In December, U.S. District Judge Clark Waddoups in Salt Lake City ruled in favor of Lens.com in long-running litigation with 1-800 Contacts.
1-800 Contacts charged in that 2007 suit that Lens.com had infringed on trademarks when it or its affiliates bought Internet search engine key words and phrases such as "1 800 contact lenses." Waddoups rejected those arguments.
Monday’s lawsuit alleges 1-800 Contacts has been trying to restrain trade and to gain and maintain a monopoly in its industry. It also alleges violations of Nevada’s Unfair Trade Practices Act, unfair competition and abuse of process.
Lens.com is represented in the antitrust litigation by attorneys with the Las Vegas and Phoenix offices of the law firm Lewis and Roca LLP.