Would you buy a Louis Vuitton bag that is described, as many of those listed by online auctioneer Ebay are, as "100% per cent authentic"? Leave aside the question of whether a bag can be 83 per cent authentic - the simple fact the sellers are desperate to reassure suggests that there are a lot of counterfeits about. The problem has led a French court to award damages against Ebay but there is a delicate balance to be struck: the internet cannot be a lawless haven for fraudsters, but nor can site operators be held solely liable for the actions of their users.
The Tribunal de Commerce ordered Ebay to pay €35m to luxury goods maker LVMH for failing to do enough to block sales of counterfeit goods; in a separate ruling, it also ordered the website to pay €3.19m, and block sales of genuine LVMH perfumes, because they breach agreements that the perfumes be distributed only by selected outlets.
