A number of Richemont brands have won lawsuits against counterfeit watch websites in a $100 million (£62m) judgement in the US.
Hundreds of counterfeit luxury watch sites are expected to be shut down in the coming weeks after brands such as Cartier, Panerai, Roger Dubuis, A Lange & Sohne and Alfred Dunhill sued the site owners in August of last year through the New York federal court.
The brands sued the sites for counterfeiting infringement, cyber-squatting, and trademark dilution. As the owners of the sites never answered the brand’s complaints, they were subject to a default judgment which was passed on January 4.
Details of the judgment state that the sites must be disabled within three business days, and the site owners’ PayPal accounts must be forfeited to Richemont. The site URLs and links will also be removed from appearing on social network sites and search engine results.
According to JCK, a statement from Richmeont senior digital and intellectual property counsel Stacey King explained that most of the sites were likely based in China, selling pieces “so similar to genuine [Richemont watches] that it’s likely [consumers] could be deceived.”
