French court to rule in luxury group case against eBay

0 Comments | AFP, June, 2008

PARIS (AFP) — A Paris court is to decide Monday whether to make eBay pay 51 million euros (80 million dollars) in damages to Louis Vuitton and other French luxury groups for letting fake copies of their goods be auctioned on its website.

Louis Vuitton Malletier, the handbag and luggage section of the LVMH group, and Christian Dior Couture are seeking 20 million euros and 17 million euros respectively for "negligence" on the part of the online auctioneer.

Four perfume subsidiaries of LVMH are between them seeking 14 million euros for "illicit sales" of their products in the proceedings that began a year and a half ago.

They say eBay knowingly let people use its site to sell fake bags, lipstick, perfumes and clothes from the famous brand names, and that even...