Deckers Outdoor Corp. has won a copyright infringement lawsuit against
a Melbourne, Australia firm over the sale of counterfeit Ugg boots.
According to Smart Company in Australia, a court has ordered the
company, Hepbourne, to pay Australian $7.5m (U.S. $6.9 mm) to Deckers.
Deckers has pursued Melbourne company Hepbourne for over five years
over the sale of counterfeit boots and has obtained court orders on a
number of occasions preventing Hepbourne from selling the boots.
But according to court documents, Hepbourne continued to sell the boots
at markets and on eBay, even after legal action was launched and the
homes of some of its selling agents were searched.
A Federal Court judge in Australia awarded Deckers A$3 million (U.S.
$2.8 mm) in damages for lost profits and a further A$3.5 million (U.S.
$3.3 mm) for the flagrancy of the copyright breach. The defendants were
also ordered to pay A$1 million (U.S. $0.9 mm) in costs.
