Online auction giant E-Bay was recently fined in French courts for failing to comply with an earlier court order to limit the auctions of specific French perfume brands to French customers.
The previous order was put in place to protect the upscale French perfume industry from lowered prices, as well as to curtail the buying and selling of imitation French perfumes. In a country where knockoff designer goods are seen as a threat to the national economy this ruling is not a surprise; however the 2.5 million dollar fine against E-Bay can be seen as little more then a slap on the wrist.
E-Bay is defending its position and claiming that it would be impossible to filter every item that crosses their virtual doors; especially with sellers so keen on circumventing the blocks that are already in place.
