DenimBlog has been working hard for our readers! Starting soon, we’ll be teaming up with top denim companies and denim retail stores to give away some free jeans to our readers! Stay tuned to the blog for more details. These contests may involve some denim trivia, so stay sharp!
Expect further tightening of trust and safety policies on eBay in the wake of a French court ruling concerning counterfeit merchandise.
In what has the makings of a landmark decision, a court in Reims, France, has ruled that eBay is directly responsible for the sale of bogus Hermes bags on its auction site, and ordered the e-commerce giant to pay 20,000 Euros, or approximately $30,000, in damages.
The ruling, handed down Wednesday, stated that eBay “failed to act within [its] powers” to prevent counterfeiting activity within its online community, according to a news report, which stated the verdict was the first of its kind in France.
In a statement issued following the ruling, eBay said: “eBay takes the issue of counterfeiting very seriously and we condemn it outright. Today’s court ruling relates to past seller verification issues. The court acknowledged that eBay subsequently addressed these issues with its enhanced anti-counterfeiting measures through its VeRO initiative.”
The VeRO initiative aims to combat counterfeiting and intellectual property misuse, but members and individual manufacturers are generally left to police the site and report violations.
A handful of similar cases are pending against eBay in five European countries, and at least one is under review in the U.S. How heavily the Hermes decision will factor in the direction of the remaining lawsuits depends largely on the locality of the individual cases, notes Aaron Kessler, senior research analyst with Piper Jaffray & Co. in East Palo Alto, CA.
“The question is, who is the merchant of record, and how much is eBay responsible for verifying the authenticity of the items sold on its site,” Kessler says. “Each country might have its own interpretation of that.”
“If people don’t trust what they’re buying, that’s a problem for eBay”
The material impact of the court fines will barely register at eBay—$30,000 is pocket change for the multibillion-dollar Internet goliath. However, eBay has plenty to fear in terms of the psychological effect on buyers. While it’s probably close to impossible to completely eliminate illicit activity on such an online venue, the company can and should take steps to increase enforcement, Kessler says.
“There is continuing concern for buyers on issues of trust and safety. If people don’t trust what they’re buying, that’s a problem for eBay,” he adds. “We have been seeing slower buying activity on eBay the last couple of years.” (Editor’s Note: Or could it also be the fact that Ebay’s continues to raise its fees making sellers raise their prices - thereby affecting buyers too?!)
The Hermes case dates back to 2006, when the luxury fashion design house sued eBay, claiming the Internet auction company allowed three Hermes knockoffs to be passed off as the real deal, and sold on its site for a total of 3,000 Euros.
According to an Agence France-Presse report, lawyers for The Hermes Group asserted eBay is “an active player in the transaction because, not only does it offer a number of services to improve the sale, but when it does not work well enough or fast enough, they intervene with the client… They are perfectly informed of the transactions since they take a percentage cut.”
Several other European designer brands, including Louis Vuitton, Dior Couture and cosmetics company L’Oreal have separately sued eBay for doing too little to thwart counterfeit activity. Unifab, a French industry lobby group, has also taken eBay to court, seeking action by eBay to better police its site.
In the United States, a counterfeiting lawsuit filed by Tiffany in 2004 is now being considered by a New York federal judge.
Should eBay be responsible for policing the fakes better on its site? I mean, if our group of self-proclaimed experts in designer denim at HonestForum can tell a fake from the real deal from a photo on the computer screen, why can’t eBay’s paid employees? Perhaps all of us should apply for “counterfeit spotting” jobs with eBay! The $30,000 fine is just a drop in the bucket for eBay - they should have hit them with a $30 million dollar fine and then, maybe, they might take this more seriously!
Loading ...
I feel like the last to know on this one - but in case I’m not - did you know that Fall Out Boy Pete Wentz, aka Diesel posterboy, now has a fashion line out called Clandestine Industries? And is it just me, or does it sort of resemble Diesel if they were to come out with a Junior’s line? Hmmm.
I can’t believe Nordstrom is actually carrying this line…. it includes t-shirts, hoodies and denim, which is mostly the kind of outfit Wentz is spotted in when he’s out, only we usually see him in Diesel jeans himself.
Is it just me or are you sick of celebs who think they know fashion?
Loading ...
American Idol finalists Syesha Mercado, Carly Smithson & Brooke White were spotted shooting an advertising campaign for Beckley Boutique, a trendy new boutique in L.A. which carries designer denim, among other things. We spot People’s Liberation on Brooke, maybe J Brand on Syesha - perhaps our readers can I.D. Carly’s jeans! Has anyone checked out this hot new boutique yet if you live in L.A.?
Former supermodel Cindy Crawford stepped out for some dinner at Nobu on June 13th wearing a pair of Rock & Republic Kiss jeans. They look great on her!
Image via Celebutopia.net
Interesting! From Earl Jean:
Earl Jeans is under new ownership of Arnold Simon, former CEO of Calvin Klein Jeans. Kelli Delaney is the Creative Director for Earl Jeans and she is also the Creative and Fashion Director for MEMBERS ONLY that just re-launched in January and it has been a huge success. We have already had an unbelievable response in the recent weeks of the re-launch. The editorial, retail, and celebrity attraction has been terrific. We are confident the new line is going to be a hit! Earl Jeans is the original skinny jean and the first denim line to have celebrity attachment. Who better to reclaim that then the ones who started it and with a whole new generation of celebrities. ”
Check out some photos DenimBlog has exclusively obtained of the new Earl Jeans! What do you think? I really like the first pair of skinnies with studs and the wide legged pair! They will be available soon at Macy’s and National Jean Company.
Celeb couple Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck were spotted taking daughter, Violet, to pre-school. What a cutie their little one is! Jen is kind of working the “mom” look with jeans and sneakers and ponytail… but at least her jeans are good! She could almost stand to size down in those 7 for All Mankind A-Pocket jeans she’s wearing, they are a tad baggy.
Shhh! This is so top secret, we couldn’t even get images yet of what these will look like, but we can’t wait to see and hear more!
J Brand Introduces Blue Label in Response to Consumers Who Want Premium Denim for a Curvier Body
LOS ANGELES–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The Los Angeles Fashion Awards “Denim Designer of the Year” winner and celebrity favorite, J Brand, has announced the debut of its latest line, J Brand Blue Label. Featuring a new fit for the curvier woman, the line was created to meet market demand for an alternative to the brand’s existing fit.
“Blue Label is perfect for women with curves,” said Susie Crippen, J Brand co-founder and Creative Director. “We have received a good deal of feedback from women who told us they loved our look and styles but wanted a fuller fit. We created Blue Label with a more generous cut around the leg, as well as a contoured waistband to hug the body’s natural curves.”
J Brand Blue Label has two predominant styles: The Scarlett with a low-rise fit and The Catherine with a mid-rise fit — both available in a cigarette leg and a boot leg. The cigarette leg is a 14-inch stovepipe, which has J Brand’s signature look with more room around the thigh. J Brand’s boot leg with a subtle flare and has been a consistently requested style.
And, finally, there is a wide-leg style for women who like a flowing jean. The Monroe is a mid-rise style that fits looser from the hips to the thighs. The back darts and contoured waistband keep this wide leg polished without looking overdone. The Monroe is also available in organic cotton. Continue reading ‘J Brand releases J Brand Blue Label for girls with curves!’
Diesel Jeans
Rock and Republic
True Religion Jeans
Seven For All Mankind
Joe's Jeans
Latest Discussions