eBay wins fake goods case

Internet auction house eBay has won a major battle in the row over the sale of fake luxury goods on its website.

A US court has ruled that Tiffany & Co, makers of bespoke jewellery, failed to prove that the online auctioneer was responsible for the sale of fake Tiffany goods on its website.

eBay called the ruling a "victory for consumers," saying it "appropriately establishes that protecting brands and trademarks is the primary burden of rights owners".

The favourable outcome comes on the back of a €40m (£31.5m) case the internet giant lost to Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton (LVMH) for selling counterfeit goods.

A French court told eBay that it can not permit the sales of four LVMH perfumes regardless of their authenticity or not.

In the UK, Maclaren and Bugaboo, makers of prams and pushchairs which together supply over a third of all prams sold in the UK, are trying to stop new pushchairs being sold through eBay.

eBay says it takes down more than 90 per cent of fraudulent goods on its site within four hours of posting.

www.ebay.co.uk
www.tiffanys.com