eBay Describes the Scale of Its Counterfeit Goods Problem

Ian Lamont writes "As the Tiffany vs. eBay lawsuit winds its way through a federal appeals court, eBay has trotted out some numbers that show how many sellers attempt to sell fake goods on the auction site. Millions of auctions were delisted last year, and tens of thousands of accounts were suspended after reports were made to eBay's Verified Rights Owner program, which lets trademark owners notify eBay of fake goods being sold on the site. eBay says 100% of reported listings were removed from the site last year, most within 12 hours, and the company uses sellers' background information to make sure that they don't create new accounts to sell delisted items. Tiffany brought the suit against eBay in 2004, alleging that eBay was turning a blind eye to counterfeit luxury goods and demanding that eBay police its listings for bogus goods. Tiffany lost the case last July and will shortly present its arguments to the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in New York. A similar case in France cost eBay $61 million."

F them anyway

[mattytee]

Regardless of my opinion on the matter at hand, after 11 years of buying and selling on eBay, it is impossible not to feel satisfaction when they lose a lot of money.

And regardless of the outcome of this, they're losing money right now, or at least not making it hand over fist.

I'm very satisfied. F them!

Re:Sure...

[dgatwood]

Oh, and apologies for the subject-verb agreement problem in the first sentence. I suppose if I really cared about typos, I'd quit rewriting sentences eight times before I post them.

Re:Everyday goods as well

[lightversusdark]

If you want to save money, grow a beard.

Re:Everyday goods as well

[Evan Charlton]

If you want to create a programming language, grow a beard.

Fixed that for you.

Re:Everyday goods as well

[CodeBuster]

A beard, ala Richard Stallman, lends a certain air of distinguished elder geek experience in IT while at the same time conveying an almost mystical knowledge of things like GNUs, Linux, and ancient shell programming incantations. Of course, to properly accessorize and complete the look a pair of old addidas sneakers, well worn bell-bottomed jeans, and suspenders are required equipment.

Re:Everyday goods as well

[AJWM]

Or get an electric shaver. A little bit more up-front cost, but it should last a decade or two. I mean, really, blades? How quaint.

Re:What is the difference?

[Cathbard]

A friend of mine had a Rolex that he picked up somewhere dirt cheap - a genuine one. The trouble was that he couldn't wear it because as he said, "People either thought I paid $10k for a watch and therefore must be a wanka or I was wearing a copy and trying to look like I spent $10k on a watch and therefore a wanka"

You gotta laugh.

Re:What is the difference?

[Asic Eng]

He could sell it on ebay.