Counterfeit internet sales: Silhouette wins legal battle

Silhouette Optical was awarded a Supplemental Default Judgment in the amount of $303,554.30 in damages, a victory in the company's struggle to combat counterfeit merchandise sales.

The preliminary injunction was brought before the U.S. District Court in Manhattan blocking false advertising of products under the Silhouette brand on May 17, 2004. Silhouette International Schmied AG and its U.S. subsidiary, Silhouette Optical Ltd., sued Marina's Boutique Store, forbidding them, along with their principals, from using any of the Silhouette trademarks in their offering of products on the internet. Marina's had been advertising eyewear on eBay, falsely claiming that the products had been manufactured by Silhouette.

This decision marks a successful attempt by Silhouette to make sure their loyal customers are not being defrauded. Silhouette has started to aggressively pursue counterfeit sales both to protect its reputation as a European based manufacturer of precision quality eyewear and to ensure its proper distribution through certified optical professionals. As prescription eyewear is a health related product, sales over the internet potentially could deprive consumers of the necessary care that professional eyewear dispensers provide.

People who engage in this type of fraud not only profit illegally, but also tarnish the reputation of legitimate companies, especially when the are guilty of false advertising in addition to their deceptive sales. Other companies such as the Cartier International Corporation and the Montblanc-Simplo Corporation have filed similar complaints in hopes to hinder this growing trend of online fraud.