weirdid
September 23rd, 2004, 07:55 PM
EBay fights its toughest legal battle
Tiffany lawsuit puts 'hands off' approach to the testBy Bob Sullivan
Technology correspondent
MSNBC
Updated: 1:52 p.m. ET Sept. 21, 2004
Artist Anna Conti says that one day this spring a friend spotted dozens of Conti's paintings for sale on eBay -- at around $50 apiece. They normally sell for $1,000 or more; these were obvious fakes. Frustrated with eBay's efforts to thwart the frauds, Conti started a Web site called "eBay Art Fraud," devoted to outing the auction site's counterfeit problem. While frauds involving her work have now stopped, she says the site is still rampant with fake art, causing a real problem for those who rely on creativity for their living.
And in an odd kind of Internet-age alliance, Conti is now a fan of Tiffany & Co., which has filed a lawsuit against the Internet giant for much the same thing.
EBay fraud isn't just about eclectic collectors or Internet geeks any more. The site is causing trouble for big, well-heeled brands like Gucci, Prada, and the like -- all of which are closely watching the action in the Tiffany case.
snip
here is the link to the full storey;
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/6030048/
Tiffany lawsuit puts 'hands off' approach to the testBy Bob Sullivan
Technology correspondent
MSNBC
Updated: 1:52 p.m. ET Sept. 21, 2004
Artist Anna Conti says that one day this spring a friend spotted dozens of Conti's paintings for sale on eBay -- at around $50 apiece. They normally sell for $1,000 or more; these were obvious fakes. Frustrated with eBay's efforts to thwart the frauds, Conti started a Web site called "eBay Art Fraud," devoted to outing the auction site's counterfeit problem. While frauds involving her work have now stopped, she says the site is still rampant with fake art, causing a real problem for those who rely on creativity for their living.
And in an odd kind of Internet-age alliance, Conti is now a fan of Tiffany & Co., which has filed a lawsuit against the Internet giant for much the same thing.
EBay fraud isn't just about eclectic collectors or Internet geeks any more. The site is causing trouble for big, well-heeled brands like Gucci, Prada, and the like -- all of which are closely watching the action in the Tiffany case.
snip
here is the link to the full storey;
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/6030048/