From Bloomberg:
Chanel, Prada Win Landmark China Court Victory
Chanel SA, Prada Holding NV and three other luxury goods companies won China’s first copyright verdict against a shopping mall landlord, their lawyer said.
Beijing Xiushui Haosen Clothing Market Co., a landlord at Beijing’s “Silk Street” shopping mall, failed to stop vendors selling known pirated goods, according to a translation of a Dec. 19 verdict e-mailed by Joseph Simone, a partner at Baker & McKenzie in Hong Kong.
This does seem to be the first case of foreign companies successfully suing a mall is a first for China, but the word “landmark” is perhaps a bit strong, if you consider the real consequences of the ruling:
The court ordered the landlord and vendors to pay $13,000 compensation…
…10 days after the verdict against the Silk Street landlord, Prada and Gucci bags were still available at the mall. One saleswoman offered a bag carrying the Louis Vuitton label with a made-in-France tag for 100 yuan ($12.30)
“Everything here is fake,” she said, gesturing at the surrounding stalls. Everyone knows it’s fake.”
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