Coach just won a lawsuit against internet counterfeiters, which could set a precedent for the rest of the industry.
The company won $257 million in damages from the companies, the largest settlement of its kind, Alexandra Steigrad at Women's Wear Daily reported. Under the judgement, Coach can also seize 573 domain names linked to counterfeit brands, stopping the copycats in their tracks.
Tory Burch, Hermes and Burberry have also won similar settlements recently.
Coach is one of the most-copied brands out there, and hundreds of websites were selling fake purses, glasses, accessories and more, according to WWD.
Many of the sites even used photos taken from Coach's actual website, confusing consumers into thinking they were the real deal.
Going after domain names is the only way for companies to take back the power, according to WWD:
Although he called the award a “warning,” (Coach and its) colleagues in the legal world have acknowledged that at least part of the judgment is purely symbolic. That’s because no brand is able to collect the millions in monetary damages, as it’s nearly impossible to physically locate the culprits running the illegal Web sites. Having the ability to shut down infringing sites is where companies begin to wield some power.
Still, the Coach settlement shows that retailers have legal power over counterfeiters.
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