EBay Wins Pivotal Tiffany Counterfeit Suit

A US judge ruled today that eBay had taken sufficient steps to stop the sale of fake Tiffany jewelry, the Wall Street Journal reports. Ruling on a suit filed by the New York-based jeweler, the judge deemed Tiffany responsible for monitoring its trademark. It was a pivotal victory for eBay, which has been forced to pay millions to luxury-goods makers in Europe.

The jewelry company plans to appeal the decision and lobby the Chamber of Commerce to help change laws in manufacturers' favor. Ebay called the ruling "a victory for consumers," but said it was "a shame that so much effort has been wasted when Tiffany could have worked with eBay to more effectively fight counterfeits." (More counterfeit stories.)