Tiffany Sues eBay Over Knock-Offs
Nov 14, 2007
A judge in New York is hearing a case to decide if eBay is responsible for the sale of counterfeit jewelry on its site, and the outcome could set a precedent for other Web sites. The trial, which opened yesterday, stems from a 2004 lawsuit by Tiffany & Co. According to Reuters, Tiffany is "claiming the online auctioneer aided violations of the jeweler's trademarks by letting counterfeit items be sold on its Web site." Tiffany joins other companies that have filed similiar suits against eBay, including cosmetics maker L'Oreal and fashion designers Louis Vuitton and Christian Dior.
EBay's position is that it has done everything it's obligated to do to prevent counterfeit merchandise from appearing on its site, including spending over $10 million annually to find and remove fakes. Still, Tiffany insists that eBay should do more to screen merchandise so that Tiffany doesn't have to spend money to police the site. It's now up to the judge to interpret the law and decide who should be responsible.
For more info, read Reuters full report.
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