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eBay fined over counterfeit goods
Online auction giant eBay has been convicted of selling counterfeit goods and ordered to pay 20,000 euro ($32,497) in damages to French luxury group Hermes, Hermes' lawyer said.
The ruling, which marks a first in France, found eBay directly responsible for the sale on its website of three Hermes bags including two ⊗⊗⊗⊗, for a total of 3000 euro.
"We are satisfied that they should be considered counterfeiters", said lawyer Emmanuel Colomes, who had been seeking 30,000 euro in damages for complicity in the sale of counterfeit goods.
At the trial in April, Hermes' lawyer argued that eBay was more than a mere host for the counterfeit items.
"eBay is an active player in the transaction because not only does it offer a number of services to improve the sale, but when it does not work well enough or fast enough, they intervene with the client," Colomes argued.
"They are perfectly informed of the transactions since they take a percentage cut."
Luxury fashion houses Louis Vuitton and Dior Couture have also taken legal action against eBay before the Paris commercial court, respectively seeking 20 million euro and 17 million euro in damages.
Both brands accuse eBay of complicity in the sale of counterfeit goods by allowing buyers and sellers to transact without imposing any controls.
Also in France, the auction industry took legal action against the online giant last December, accusing it of encouraging trade in pirated and stolen goods.
And in a potentially major case, the cosmetics giant L'Oreal last September launched legal action against eBay in five European countries including France, over the sale of bottles of counterfeit perfume.
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eBay fined over counterfeit goods 
