Louis Vuitton Wins Record Fake Goods Payout (Canada)

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Louis Vuitton Malletier has been awarded more than CAD1m (US$0.94m) in damages and costs after rogue traders in British Columbia sold fake copies of its accessories.
The luxury goods company, part of the LVMH empire, had sought to set a precedent in bringing the case against 46353 BC Ltd, which traded under a number of retail names including Wynnie Lee Fashion, Wynnie Lee, Francisca Hung-Yee Ngan, Lisa Le Dung Tran, 560148 BC and Jacqueline Lee, all based in Richmond, British Columbia.
Sitting in the Supreme Court of British Columbia, Justice Mary Ellen Boyd said the defendants had acted "wilfully and knowingly" in selling fake copies of Louis Vuitton scarves, handbags, purses, wallets and belts.
Awarding a record amount of C$20,000 per violation, Justice Boyd said the retailers had continued to sell the fake goods over a six-year period, ignoring a series of court orders, Federal Court judgments and cease and desist notices.
They had sought to avoid detection by hiding the items in drawers in the shops and refusing to offer receipts for goods, the court heard.
Louis Vuitton Malletier had originally brought the action after seizing hundreds of fake items from a Wynnie Lee store in 2004.
"We are extremely pleased by this precedent-setting victory in our global fight against counterfeiting, particularly in Canada where the legal framework for the enforcement of Intellectual Property rights is not as strong as in other countries," said Nathalie Moulle-Berteaux, intellectual property director of Louis Vuitton.
Louis Vuitton also pointed to an earlier case brought against Lin Pi-Chu Yang in British Columbia last November, which led to a payout of over C$260,000.
"Through these decisions, the judges have sent a strong message to counterfeiters that their illegal activities will not be tolerated by the Canadian courts," said Moulle-Berteaux.

Thankyou Mary Dan from Just Style for the story.


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