An action has been won in the French courts by some of the
world's leading fashion designers who alleged copyright
infringement by internet fashion site Firstview.com. The designers,
including famous brand names Lacroix, Givenchy and Dior, argued
that the publication of images of their products over the internet
was a breach of their exclusive copyright in their designs and
brand names.
The Paris High Court ruled that by offering for sale access to
these images, the company responsible for the FirstView web site
was in breach of copyright. A US company called ViewFinder operated
the site and is therefore liable for the breach.
However, ViewFinder has failed to respond to the court ruling
and has failed to pay the damages of FF 500,000 (around £46,000)
and interest awarded by the court to each of the seven parties
bringing the action. If ViewFinder continues to ignore the court
order, an action may have to be brought to enforce it through the
US courts.
