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Beijing shopping mall appeals copyright violation ruling+(Japan Economic Newswire Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)BEIJING, Jan. 9_(Kyodo) _ The management of Beijing's famed Silk Alley market has appealed a ruling ordering payment of 200,000 yuan (about $24,700) in compensation for allowing merchants to sell knock-offs on its premises, the plaintiff's lawyer said Monday. Beijing Silk Alley Haosen Co. on Friday appealed the Dec. 20 decision by the Beijing No. 2 Intermediate Court, which found that the company had allowed five vendors to violate the trademarks of five luxury brand companies. Burberry, Chanel, Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Prada sued after finding knockoffs being sold at the market in April and May last year. They charged that Silk Alley Haosen had made it convenient for vendors to sell knockoffs and demanded 2.5 million yuan. Local media said in December the ruling was the first in China finding a commercial landlord liable for counterfeit goods sold by private vendors. Silk Alley Haosen argues in its appeal that trademark infringement policing is the government's responsibility. The appeal could take three months to a year. Silk Alley, a mall with about 400 stalls and small shops, appears in many foreign-language travel guidebooks as a place to go for cheap clothes, belts, bags and other products. |