Monday, October 12, 2009

ISPs Ordered to Pay $32 Million to Louis Vuitton for Contributory Trademark and Copyright Infringement

A federal jury in California has found two Internet service providers, Akanoc Solutions, Inc., and Managed Solutions Group, Inc. ("MSGI"), and their owner, Steven Chen, guilty of contributing to trademark and copyright infringement for hosting websites selling counterfeit Louis Vuitton goods, and has awarded Louis Vuitton $32 million in damages. As we previously reported, Louis Vuitton sued Akanoc, MSGI and Chen for "knowingly allow[ing] and encourag[ing] certain websites to use" their Internet hosting services to infringe Louis Vuitton's "valid trademarks and copyrights." Louis Vuitton successfully demonstrated that both ISPs knew of the infringing websites but failed to take "simple measures" to shut them down.

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