|
Even though Danish law does not consider it illegal to purchase counterfeit goods for personal use, DK consumers who buy such products from internet stores still run the risk of having to face the aggressive legal representatives of some of the more copied brands. A recent case involved a Copenhagen citizen who purchased a counterfeit Gucci bag and three belts for just under 1,000 DKK on a Chinese website. The goods were seized by customs officials and passed on to Gucci's Danish law firm which promptly filed a 10,000 DKK action for damages, citing that a consignment of four products constituted a commercial import shipment.
The MAQS Law Firm – which besides Gucci also represents large brands such as Davidoff and Calvin Klein in Denmark – receives several new counterfeit cases a day and is concerned about the growing e-trading of counterfeit-goods in Denmark: "This kind of internet shopping is a big problem. When we receive a confiscated product, we usually write a letter on behalf of the rights holder, saying that importers of counterfeit goods are liable to pay damages," says Hanne Weywardt, a lawyer and partner at MAQS. "Our clients have instructed us to react in all cases, because there is no way of knowing whether the perpetrator has done this thing before, or if he/she has just divided shipments into smaller portions."
Ms. Weywardt acknowledges that some private individuals may be up for a bit of a shock, when they receive an MAQS letter.
Full story in Danish
News category: Denmark
Published on this site: Jul. 14, 2008
Source:epn.dk
|
