Tory Burch handed 41.2 million dollars in counterfeit case

London - US designer Tory Burch has been awarded 41.2 million dollars (26.4 million pounds) in a trademark infringement lawsuit against Lin & J International Inc., after US District Judge Denis Cote's ruled in her favour. The company was ordered to pay the New-York based designer 38.9 million dollars in damages and 2.3 million dollars in attorney's fees.

The two companies had been embroiled in a legal battle since 2013, after Burch first accused Lin & J International of selling necklaces, rings and earrings that were a copy of her designs and therefore infringed on company trademarks. According to WWD, the designer herself "sent a representative to Lin & J's showroom in New York and that representative was shown a variety of knockoffs and told the minimum order was 350 dollars." She also "identified a wholesaler in Alabama who pointed to Lin & J as their supplier of thousands of units of fake jewellery."

After the initial legal proceedings, Lin & J International and its co-owners Lani Kim and Youngran Kim, attempted to counter sue Burch, claiming that the inspiration for the designs of their jewelry came from the Coptic Cross. The company accused Burch's company of "unfair trade practices, defamation, trademark infringement and other claims." However, the US District Court found Youngran Kim and the three companies she controls, which includes Lin & J International, liable for trademark infringement.