Louis Vuitton awarded $3.5 million
Louis Vuitton Malletier, SA, part of LVMH, has been awarded $3 million in statutory damages and more than $500,000 in legal fees in its lawsuit against LY USA, Inc., Marco Leather Goods Ltd., Coco USA Ltd. and the principals Chong Lam and Joyce Chan for trademark counterfeiting.
In August, the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York found the defendants liable for "willful and intentional" counterfeiting and infringement of five of Louis Vuitton's trademarks.
In its October 3 ruling on the damages, the Court justified the size of the award by saying that the defendants had shown by their wilfulness in obstructing the litigation, engaging in discovery abuses, and violating Louis Vuitton's trademark rights that "a slight damage award is unlikely to deter them from continuing their illegal business."
