Lawyers Hit eBay Fakes

globeandmail:

Most working days, law professionals in the New York offices of Torys LLP sit at computers and scour the Internet for cheap designer goods. Shouts of “Bingo” ring out when unbelievable deals are spotted.

The lawyers and paralegals are not searching for bargains, it should be explained, they are trolling for litigation work.

“If it’s a Gucci necklace on sale for $75, you don’t have to be a genius to figure out that this stuff isn’t real,” said Torys lawyer Louis Ederer.

Mr. Ederer should know. Gucci America Inc., which typically charges thousands of dollars for a single piece of its jewellery, is one of a number of high-end designers that has hired the trademark litigator and his New York team to defend their brands against a tidal wave of counterfeit goods flooding Internet auction sites. His other clients include tony jeweller David Yurman, women’s label XOXO and jeans label Edwin Co. Ltd