eBay Wins Counterfeit Court Victory

eBay has won a French court case that rules it's not responsible for those selling fakes on the site.

After losing a pair of high profile counterfeit cases and being stung with millions in fines, the tide appears to have turned for eBay in court. Yesterday it won a famous victory in France, where it had been sued by cosmetics maker L’Oreal over fake perfumes sold on the auction site.

A Paris court judged eBay not responsible for counterfeits sold by users, even though L’Oreal said it believed up to 60% of perfumes sold as luxury brands on eBay were fakes. The court decided eBay had lived up to its obligations, and urged the two sides to use mediation to resolve the issue.

The decision reflects recent verdicts in Belgium and Germany, and runs counter to cases last year which found eBay guilty and fined the company millions of dollars.

A ruling over a similar case in the UK is expected soon, according to the Guardian, and it might affect similar cases brought by L’Oreal in four other countries.

Richard Ambrose, head of trust and safety for eBay UK and Ireland, said:

"This is a clear legal victory for eBay and an important victory for consumers. We are delighted that eBay’s meaningful efforts to fight counterfeits online have been recognized by the court. Today 99% of all items listed on eBay are genuine products and we continue to work hard to ensure eBay is a safe and trusted place to shop."

"We have always believed that co-operation is the best way to fight counterfeits. Ongoing dialogue and collaboration, rather than litigation, is the only way to effectively identify and remove any counterfeit items which do appear on our site.”