Louis Vuitton wins big in Contributory Trademark and Copyright Infringement suit

A jury awarded Paris-based Louis Vuitton Malletier S.A.’s $32 million against hosting companies Akanoc Solutions Inc., Managed Solutions Group Inc., and Steven Chen, the owner of the two companies.

The decision, from U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California differs from previous contributory infringement cases where a defendant intentionally and knowingly enabled another to infringe a trademark.

Akanoc had entered a Motion for Judgment as a Matter of Law based on previous contributory Trademark infringement cases, arguing Vuitton’s inability to establish the elements, including evidence of direct infringement and control over infringement at specific websites.

Story here. Verdict here.