It was a big win in the European Court of Justice for L'Oréal Paris last week when the judge ruled in favour of the beauty company’s case against eBay for selling counterfeit goods.
The top European court ruled that online retailers such as eBay and Amazon could be liable for trademark infringement if their sites are found selling counterfeit products.
This ruling will see national courts be able to take measures intended not only to bring to an end infringements of intellectual property rights, but also to prevent further infringements of that kind.”
A L’Oréal spokesperson commented that the ruling is A step toward effectively combatting the sale of counterfeiting brands and products via the Internet. This decision is in line with the position L'Oréal has taken for several years and is applicable in courts throughout the European Union.”
The decision targets organised e-commerce activity from businesses using online platforms rather than online marketplaces selling one-off items.