Hermès Wins $100 Million Judgment in Counterfeit Case; 34 Knock Off Websites Are Forced To Shutter

Ever notice those janky looking ads for websites promising you Birkins at bargain prices and wonder how they can legally exist? Well they can't. And 34 of them-including HermesBagsOutlet.org, HermesBirkin-Bags.org and HermesOutletStore.com-were just shut down following a ruling handed down in Manhattan's federal court.

According to the New York Post, Judge Denise Cote awarded Hermès a $100 million judgment against these knockoff sites saying they were “liable for trademark infringement and counterfeiting.” Shockingly, not one of the defendants showed in court.

The sites hawked fake Birkins and Kelly bags as well as accessories. The Post is reporting that payments already made in the web sites' PayPal accounts will go towards paying the $100 million awards. Sucks for those folks hoping to snag a fake Birkin on HermesBagsOutlet.org. Though we're sure, as evidenced by the screen cap (above, left) that these sites will keep cropping up.

Still, it's a big victory for Hermès. And to make sure that the shuttered sites stay shuttered, the settlement also stipulates that “Google, Bing and Yahoo stop providing links to the Web sites” and that “Facebook and Twitter ‘de-index' and remove from any search results the offending sites.”

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/hermesfakers_lapped_hNEk7dELnSOzQvRvtBv0RJ