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China court fines couple on sales of fake LV products

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-07-24 15:33

A Chinese couple and their company were ordered on Thursday by a court in eastern Shanghai to compensate French luxury firm Louis Vuitton Malletier (LV) 500,000 yuan ($73,200) for selling fake LV products.

The Shanghai No 1 Intermediate People's Court ordered the couple, surnamed Lin and Wu and their Shanghai Zhongwen Trade Co., Ltd to stop the infringement.

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The couple began to sell counterfeit LV bags, wallets and other products in 2001 and they set up the Shanghai Zhongwen company to facilitate their illegal trade.

From 2002 to 2004, the Shanghai Industry and Commerce Administration confiscated more than 2,000 fake products with the trademarks of LV and others from the company during inspections, the court heard. The couple were fined 30,000 yuan and ordered to stop selling the fake products. But they continued to do so, raking in large profits.

The couple was detained in August 2008 by the Shanghai Public Security Bureau. In December 2008, the Xuhui District People's Court fined the company 50,000 yuan for selling fake products. One spouse was sentenced to a five-month criminal detention and the other fined 30,000 yuan.

Louis Vuitton Malletier filed a lawsuit at the Shanghai No 1 Intermediate People's Court in January this year, demanding a compensation of one million yuan from the couple and their company.

The couple confessed to their infringements at the court.