L’Oréal loses to eBay in UK counterfeit case

C&T giant L’Oréal has suffered another setback in its efforts to prevent the alleged sale of fake products by the online auction house eBay. The UK High Court today ruled in favour of eBay after L’Oréal took the company to court for purportedly selling goods that were either counterfeit or sourced from outside the European Economic Area.

“This is an important judgement because it ensures that consumers can continue to buy genuine products at competitive prices on eBay. As such, it is a victory for consumers and the thousands of entrepreneurs who sell legitimate goods on eBay every day,” said eBay’s head of trust & safety, Richard Ambrose. “When companies try to prevent genuine items being sold through the internet they demonstrate that they are out of step with consumers, how they use the internet to shop and, at this time when every penny counts, the importance of shopping around to get the best price.” Ambrose also reiterated eBay’s plea for cooperation and dialogue between itself and brand owners.

The UK High Court’s ruling, comes just days after a Paris tribunal rejected L’Oréal’s action against eBay.