Kering has accused Chinese e com giant Alibaba to be profiting from fake Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent, Balenciaga and Bottega Veneta , despite the Chinese e-commerce giant’s pledge to combat the trade in fakes.
The lawsuit by France’s Kering SA and a group of its brands in a New York court is a setback for Alibaba’s effort to assure companies and regulators it is doing enough to keep counterfeits off its online sales platforms.The Alibaba defendants “knowingly encourage, assist, and profit from the sale of counterfeits,” said the lawsuit, filed Friday in U.S. federal court in Manhattan.
However Alibaba disagrees to the basis of report and says,”We continue to work in partnership with numerous brands to help them protect their intellectual property, and we have a strong track record of doing so,” said a company statement. “Unfortunately, Kering Group has chosen the path of wasteful litigation instead of the path of constructive cooperation.”
Knowing the fact that China has long been seen as a leading source of counterfeit goods ranging from designer clothing, iphones and Hollywood movies to fake cancer drugs, and this is Kering’s second complaint in a year, which was withdrawn later on a good faith.
