You'll Have To Go To Chinatown From Now On
Filed under: Fashion Smashion > Legal Matters
eBay is in some deep trouble!
Yesterday, a French court ordered eBay to pay almost $40 million euros (over $60M US) in damages to Louis Vuitton for allowing the sale of fake LV items.
The court has now stopped eBay from selling four kinds of perfumes, which are Givenchy, Christian Dior, Guerlain, and Kenzo.
They will also not be allowed to sell six LVMH brands.
The court determined that eBay had committed "serious errors" by allowing the sales of fake LVMH goods.
They also said eBay violated the perfume sales distribution network, which was setup by Louis Vuitton and Christian Dior Couture.
Of course, eBay said they are going to launch an appeal, believing the court did not uphold copyright law.
A spokesperson for eBay has said, "This decision is not based on combating counterfeit material. It is based on LVMH's desire to protect its commercial practices and exclude competition. This is being done at the expense of the consumers and sellers to whom eBay is always offering opportunities."
Hmmm. They have a point!
The case, which started a year and a half ago, stated that eBay knowingly allowed the sales of counterfeit products on its site.
The court also issued eBay a cease and desist order preventing it from running ads for the perfume and cosmetic brands. If they don't oblige, they'll face a fine of 50,000 euros per day, over $78K.
Gosh. Why can't they run ads??? That seems a tad excessive, no???
A rep for LVMH says, "It is a major first because of the principles that it recognizes and the amount sought."
What do U think?
AWESOME!!!! I HATE EVILBAY!!!! I pray it disintigrates into nothing but a crummy little forgotten garage sale site that nobody ever goes to. It's on its way. None of my friends buy anything from that evil place anymore. Please don't buy anything through them!!!
I THINK EBAY SHOULD PAY UP. I'VE PURCHASED FAKE CHANEL SUNGLASSES, 2 FAKE PERFUMES, & A FAKE BLACK HOUSE WHITE MARKET SHIRT (EVERYTHING WAS DESCRIBED AS AUTHENTIC). I OPENED A DISPUTE FOR THE SUNGLASSES THAT HAD ALL THE EVIDENCE THAT THE SELLER RIPPED ME OFF & THEY DID NOTHING. I'M DONE WITH EBAY. GO FUCK YOURSELF EBAY!!!!!!!!
FAKE PURSES ARE SOOOO TACKY
LV is a matter of personal taste. I happen to love Louis. Their pieces are timeless, wear well, and are worth every penny. If you want a real Louis go directly to LV. Statitics say 98% of the LV items you see people carrying are fake - Ebay needs to stop assisting sellers in swindling people. They should be called on it. Good for LVMH! And it's true if you carry a real LV you can spot a fake a mile away - no comparison…
this ROCKS i hate fakers trying to seem like someone else they are not
don't have the cash then don't PRETEND to.
Team LV, all the way! Ebay has consistently turned a blind eye to the humongous trade in counterfeit products that takes place on their site. I have reported obvious counterfeits to them multiple time, and they have never—not once—done a thing about it! You can't trust anything you buy on Ebay to be real…I have seen even counterfeit perfumes, cosmetics, and hair products on there in addition to purses, clothing and accessories. It has paid–big time–for Ebay to ignore this huge issue, as they have vastly profitted from the sale of counterfeit items. It is about time that they were made accountable for their actions!
Most designer items are made buy 'slave' labor in Asia or sweat shops in wealthy countries …
Ebay usually manage to stop you auctioning imitation 'designer' stuff (even when it's pre loved &/or an obvious copy)
RE # 41… right on. Ebay's no longer a real 'market place'.
BUT THOSE BAGS LOOK SO UGLY, real or fake
re REN - you are too literate for this site!
Ha ha. Ebay is stupid.
If Keith Richards advertises it , it must be good quality !
I'd like to share it with the hotties who also like sports I met at RICHLOVING.COM,where the hot affluent singles and sexy girls and models to hook up for Hot Love, Flirt and Sexy Dating!
RE # Aussi - lol Today I've been sewing bags made out of VINTAGE fabric. I'm terminally creative & I think LV bags are ugly. I drive an old car. But I did have my hair cut a few days ago!p.s. Stopped selling my stuff on Ebay because of their recent policy changes…
"It is based on LVMH's desire to protect its commercial practices and exclude competition. "
EXCLUDE COMPETITION?!?! WHO DO THEY THINK THEY ARE?? MA BELL?? EBAY SHOULD SUE LVMH FOR TRYING TO MONOPOLIZE AND MONETIZE. MUST BE WHAT THE "M" REALLY STANDS FOR.
Re: Ruby –
Louis Vuitton IS NOT MADE IN CHINA you Idiot….The fakes are but the authentics are made in France, USA, Spain, etc…China ia one place REAL LV's are not manufactured. Know your facts before you open your retated mouth.. And one more thing We who carry REAL Louis Know the fakes from the authentic thats why when your at a mall or a restaurant and you feel uncomftable carrying a fake it's because WE spotted you and are laughing at you behind your back at your heap ass purse!!!!
Re: Isabella –
I buy all my LV bags from an LV store usaully once a year one new bag for me..I save up and e enjoy my new bag!!!!
Who cares is that counterfeiting funds things like: drug trafficking, terrorist and abusive child labor. The first world trade center attack in 93 was funded by counterfeiting. It cost US economy billions of dollars a year and loss of jobs. So, right, whats the big deal?
I think that ebay should get in trouble. Knock offs are just retarded. If you are honestly willing to spend $600 on a knock off, you could have gotten 2 real coach purses for that price. Theyre fucking retarded. And its totally obvious when you see some WHITE TRASH mexican or black girl carrying a Louis Vuitton…its OBVIOUS that they cant afford one. Fakes are a real disgrace to people like me who can afford the real ones. I want to puke when I hear people ask me "oh my gosh, is that real?!" YES its real because I INVEST in quality instead of throwing my money away for quantity. Fakes are a disgrace to the fashion industry and are extremely insulting to designers and ebay should get raped for them selling all these fake ass shit products.
LET THE POOR PEOPLE HAVE LOUIS VUITTON TOO !!!
Ebay doesn't sell the fakes. THey're like a flea market. It's up to buyers to be on their toes.
If you can't afford a real bag, don't be embarrassed, most people can't. The problem with sporting a fake bag is that #1 It's really obvious, most people who are familiar with LV can spot a fake 90% of the time, 100 miles away. #2 You would be supporting sweatshops, laboring children, wage depression, and illegal activity– of course, a true activist would say the same about most manufacturing locations abroad, but to knowlingly support it is a big taboo. LV has limited factories in France, Spain, and the US. All of its workers are skilled craftsmen, not children in factories. The reason the bags are so pricey is visible in the construction and materials of the bag.
In addition to that, counterfeit activity depreciates the brand value saturates the market, supports drug trafficking and child labor, and lowers working standards through wage depression and poor working conditions (most LV counterfeits are produced out of mom n' pop shops within homes in Asia– hardly subject to monitoring). If one day you can afford to buy a real one, you will be pissed to see someone carrying an "identical" counterfeit model. This is perhaps best thought of in terms of social responsibility. Although there is probably scores of unethical capitalistic companies price-gouging and hiring child workers to increase their profit margin, you wouldn't knowingly chain a small child to a machine, force him/her to work 14 hour days with missing fingers, and feed him/her nothing all day in a 90 degree basement, now would you? Educate yourself before you fight the system.
Is anyone surprised at this? Some people argue for the designers, protection of brand/ copyright infringement, and that b/c so many fakes are out there everyone looks like fake sheeps.
My thinking on this is WHAT DO YOU EXPECT WHEN EVERYONE WANTS TO COPY THEIR FAVORITE CELEBRITIES AND THEIR BLING???! I Mean COME ON! The Industry ITSELF DOES THE SAME THING COME OSCAR, EMMY'S, GOLDEN GLOBES. NO ONE complains on the fact that a so called cheaper version of a dress some starlette wore can be found at Jessica Mclintock for 150$ in comparison to the 10k, 20k, 25k the starletts DID NOT pay to BORROW a dress. I think that speaks VOLUMES! ppl that have the real deal can spot a fake a mile away. Let ppl rock their FAUX FUR, FAUX diamonds ( cubic zirconia) and FAUX purses if they want to.
Lastly, in regards to poor children working in sweat shops to make these knock off's Look no further than blaming Imperialist countries especially the US and our Trade agreements. Countries do the best they can w/ what they have to work with. If we care so much then how about having these DESIGNERS and celebraties that endorse these brands stop fishing and EXPLOITING CHEAP LABOR. Nike, Banana Repubic, Gap, Old Navy, Sean John, House of Dereon… you guys know who you are. We the people line these people's pockets while the poor thatmake their get nothing. Whle i'm pleased LV makes purses here, SWEATSHOPS EXIST HERE AS WELL!
fuck yeah! If I wanna buy a LV purse but, don't wanna pay retail, I'll be more inclined to hop on Ebay and see if someones selling, a used REAL one or a "minor defect" REAL one. I would NOT EVER NEVER wanna buy a fake one. Why would anyone ever wanna buy a fake or any brand for that matter? I mean, it takes the "thrill" of one knowing they have a REAL one. I see no pleasure in knowin "OMG, I just got a (fake) LV purse" I mean, for all these little fools trying to front and look like they have cash, Im sorry but, we all know your purse is fake, the minute we see you step out of your Taurus. We know you can't afford no $2000 little wallet, let alone a $5000 purse….Like who are you kidding?
I like how they think. I always look online on their website and its really hard to find which bag is the real one. I decided not to buy any designer brands on ebay because you never know if the perfume bottles are just full of water or the real thing. Or the 400 dollar bags are really luis vuitton or not. And ebay DOES know that they are selling fake bags because they even make "blogs" or "information" about "How to tell if its the real thing or not". Go Louis!! Finally something is being done about it.
Re: dubyk –
Some people can't afford it. So for them its stupid because they have to feed theirselves and make sure they have somewhere to live. So its good you can afford designer bags, but you shouldn't be putting it in peoples faces and have enough nerve to say "it gets under your skin." For some people they dont have what you have. That probably gets under their skin.
I'm not into fakes but I'll buy whatever I want and I don't need anyone permission sooooo…..I think I'll go buy a fake LV - screw them.
Re: Suzan – yeah obviously not everyone can afford an expensive bag but those who cant afford them shouldnt act as if anyone who owns one is the devil. i am sorry if i hurt your feelings but maybe you should have fully read what i was responding to. get the facts.
YOU CAN'T tell they're fakes - if you're walking down the street and you see someone with a LV, Coach, Spade - whatever, you CANNOT tell they're a fake unless you inspect the purses yourself up close - then yes, otherwise no. Besides - why would someone even want a purse with an LV all over it??
This is a typical EU court ruling. They are so incredibly jealous of our free market system. What a joke. They're going after e-bay because they have the deep pockets. E-bay isn't responsible for what is sold on their site, they aren't a retail operation. It is up to users to rate sellers as far as truthfulness goes. All that would happen is that users selling fake LV would now call it authentic so they could list it. It won't stop the proliferation of fake LV goods but that wasn't really the point, was it? The point is to shake down e-bay because they're an incredibly successful AMERICAN enterprise built on the free market!!
Re: kate –
Idiot i can't believe you support Ebay just because they are American.Stupid bitch.Im sure you like Bush too.
Team LVMH.
Re: Wanna – Actually, Ebay is to blame for this. It's they are allowing illegal activity to take place on their website. It's the same thing as being a landlord. If I own a building, and my tenants are engaged in illegal activity, I can be held liable for that. The Mayor's Task Force in NYC has been shutting buildings down on Canal Street in China town for the same exact thing. They are knowingly hosting a site where illegal product is being sold. It's not so much an issue of lost sales for LV, as it is an issue of brand tarnishment to have the counterfeits out there. Many of you all have stated that you don't even want a Louis because there are so many fakes out there, that you don't want people to think that you're carrying a fake. This is great, and I can't wait for the Tiffany v. Ebay case to finally end.
First of all, congrats to all of you who think you are buying a lifestyle by shoveling out $$$$ for designer stuff. You been took. Anyone in Asia can tell you tney make the big name luxury goods in the factories in China, and they can sell the extra copies or slightly off copies for under $200 and still make a nice profit. So who's the crook? 2nd the companies spread all of these sob stories about counterfeits…google it and you cannot find one firsthand account of terrorism and all those other ridiculous stories they shovel out to get your hard-earned cash. 3rd Ebay is a vehicle, not a vendor. This is why the US is no longer a superpower, too many people begging to be shafted by rich people and corporations.
Finally! Can't stand all the false advertisers on E-bay. Stop trying to bullshit people and advertise your product for what it is. "Genuine" namebrand or "genuine" crap.
can't they compromise? like make sure the only sellers are pre-approved to not sell fakes, and then have the sellers be accountable? i've bought some great designer bags on ebay — not fakes — and i wouldn't want to be prevented from buying brands I like because of LV.
ebay is for selling whatever you want, gett off their ass, LV. Let the not so rich be stylish….
I believe all designers have the right to protect their business by punishing scammers selling knock offs, without a doubt. I even agree than e-bay has been turning a blind eye to the problem for a while now. On the flip side, it's realistically impossible for the companies to demand that e-bay be responsible for hunting down and punishing transgressors. Everyone always wants to make someone else do their work for them. Instead of bickering about it, the idiots on both sides should have put their collectively overpaid brain cells together and hammered out a workable compromise way before things got to this point. Finally, I find it disgusting that companies are trying to prevent me from selling items that I have bought from their stores, so as to kill of the competition. If I paid for it, it's mine. I can paint it, cut it up, or burn it in a fire - I paid for the right. How dare these money grubbing corporate wankers try to prohibit me from doing what I want with my items, just so they can make more money off me in future?
I'm with Ebay. LV is not losing any business over this… the people buying knockoffs on Ebay will probably never be able to afford a real bag. Leave those who can't afford designer labels alone!
I was just in Chinatown and there are no Louis Vuitton purses anywhere. Tons of fake Coach and Channel as well as Juicy. There was one guy trying to sell 1 fake….really fake looking Louie. I spent 2 days shopping there for bags. Go Louis Vuitton!