You have to love the French government - a modern country frozen in dark-ages mentality. However the precedent the French are attempting to set with this case is dangerous. Since eBay is largely a community of buyers and sellers, holding the mechanism responsible is just beyond the reach of the rational.

Fake goods are a plague for brands; a boon for those who could care less. However eBay never takes posession of the goods in the marketplace. It is not an escrow service for buying and selling and has no business verifying authenticity of goods on the site. While some may disagree, the responsibility lies with the person who sold the merchandise to the buyer. Imagine if we held the government up to the same standard. Any illegal activity taking place on the street would logically be the government’s fault. If drugs are illegal and sold on the street, the government would then be the sole party responsible for the sale of illegal drugs.  If someone were to die from taking a fake drug, the dealer would essentially remain free and the government would be levied with the burden of carrying the debt.

While I am, by no means, privy to any information in the case (see ‘About’ for disclaimer),  I do question the logic of the French court system. There are generally two outcomes that will arise: eBay will most likely be sued in French courts by others who are attempting to “protect” their brands, and consumers will face a backlash as the goods (real or fake) begin to disappear.

How is this good for consumers? It helps to clamp down on fake goods. How is it bad? Since eBay has no real ability to validate whether goods are legitimate, it may force the removal of legitimate luxury goods. Forget selling that Louis Vuitton hand bag you bought from the retail store on eBay. If eBay is the one holding the liability for those goods, do you really think they want to face lawsuit after lawsuit from these brands?

Jude Law pleads for end to gun law in Afghanistan | Lifestyle | Reuters

I love headlines sometimes. Especially when the topic of the headline isn’t discussed. So I ask: What gun law?