Tiffany CEO Admits That It's Suing eBay Because It's Too Hard To Find Real Counterfeiters
from the lawsuits-don't-work-that-way dept
Three and a half years ago, famed jeweler Tiffany sued eBay because people were selling counterfeit Tiffany goods on the auction site. As we noted at the time, it doesn't make any sense at all to sue eBay, since it's not eBay who's doing anything wrong. Tiffany's CEO has now basically admitted that, but doesn't seem to mind. At a hearing in the lawsuit, CEO Michael Kowalski admitted that the firm was suing eBay because it was hard to find the actual sellers. That may make sense in the mind of a Tiffany exec, but the way laws work is that you don't get to sue the person or company who's easy to find just because those actually responsible are hard to find. When a robber holds up a Tiffany store, does Kowalski sue the maker of the getaway car, because the robber can't be found? The company does admit that it sues the individuals when they can be found, but the CEO refers to them as "phantasms" and claimed it made more sense to just focus on eBay, saying that the real fault is "the distribution network, not the seller." Next thing you know, Kowalski will be suing the internet itself. After all, it's "the network, not the seller."Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
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Filed Under: counterfeit goods, luxury goods, safe harbor
Companies: ebay, tiffany
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ebay and counterfeiters
I was pumped.
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i invented the internet
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Re: i invented the internet
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You forgot about...
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This is so weird
Oh, and it's very stupid to sue eBay for this - although I don't think the people who shop at his stores are really going to care if he sues eBay for a bunch of incorrect reasons or not - it won't hurt their image.
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Re: This is so weird
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Sue Everyone
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Re:
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How much has the suit costed Ebay so far
Can any of the money be reclaimed?
Can Tiffany be fined for an inappropriate lawsuit?
It is no wonder why some companies become so paranoid.
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Following that train of logic...
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it's called caveat emptor
meaning that if you are shopping for something, and you see it for a significant discount on ebay, it's probably a fake, or stolen, or both.
you wouldn't buy a $500 television on a street corner for $50, why would you do it on ebay?
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Ray
But, Hautedawg has a point. You are an adult (I would hope any for being married) and should have known better. I don't go on e-bay and look for cisco routers and buy the $50 3800 series model. I know it will be a fake, or dead. Especially since they start at 3k easy. Actually, I don't use e-bay at all. But, I'm wise enough to know when I'm being had.
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seriously
i couldnt agree anymore with the comments made in the article.
it makes me doubt Tiffany's credibility.
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Christies, anyone?
If they've been successful, would this not set the precedent that the dealer or auction-house is indeed liable for facilitating the sale of fake or stolen goods?
Pls don't flame me for comparing faked Tiffany stuff to Picassos and the Holocaust, it's the legal PRECENDENT I'm wondering about.
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But what if the getaway car was the only thing...
just playing devil's advocate...
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Re: But what if the getaway car was the only thing
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Daily ebay rip Offs Going on Unreported by Many as
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Tiffany is stupid
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refake items from ebay
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refake items from ebay
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new file engine search!
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swiss panerai replica
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Fake Items on Ebay
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Nice information
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