Tiffany vs eBay

In a ruling on Monday jeweler Tiffany & Co was found to be responsible for policing the use of their trademark online, not auction platforms like eBay. This comes after a 2004 lawsuit Tiffany filed against eBay alleging that most items listed for sale as genuine Tiffany products were indeed fakes. US District Judge Richard Sullivan ruled that eBay can't be held liable for trademark infringement, and stated that they took all of the appropriate steps when Tiffany notified them of suspected counterfeit goods. Similar lawsuits were filed against the site in Europe, one by luxury giant LVMH and another over the supposed sale of fake Rolex watches. eBay lost both cases in Europe and were forced to stop selling certain LVMH owned cosmetics and to actively prevent the sale of Rolex watches. In fashion where fakes often outnumber genuine articles, this ruling can make it harder for consumers shopping on eBay to find authentic goods.