Defend it like Beckham... counterfeit win for Posh
SHE has a £31 million townhouse in London’s Holland Park, not to mention trophy properties in Miami, Dubai and the Cotswolds. But never assume that Victoria Beckham is content to loll around at home.
I can reveal that the fashion designer, who starts her day by drinking three tablespoons of cider vinegar, is currently savouring the sweetest of victories — over a group of six associates who’ve been attempting to cash in on the Beckham brand by selling counterfeit goods.
The battle unfolded after ‘Posh’, as Victoria was known in her Spice Girls days, was assailed by the appearance of 46 websites, all calling themselves ‘ victoriabeckham beauty’, each with a different ‘ geographical indicator’ — implying they were connected to a different country. All of them carried the
‘ logo, mark, and copyrightprotected images’ of her company. Aware that none of them had anything to do with her fashion and beauty products, which are on sale in 50 countries, Victoria filed a complaint with the World Intellectual Property Organisation.
Its verdict has come down unequivocally in her favour this week. Noting that all the domain names were registered on the same day, it records that they ‘copy the look and feel’ of Victoria’s official website and are, like hers, used as online shops.
It witheringly concludes that their activities ‘ constitute a pattern of abusive conduct of bad faith’ by making a deliberate and calculated attempt to attract custom ‘for commercial gain’, via a ‘ likelihood of confusion’. Acknowledging Victoria’s evidence that what the group of six were selling was ‘most likely counterfeit goods’, it points out that is a type of fraud and ordered all domain names be transferred to her. I hope she now indulges herself in what, for her is the rarest of luxuries — a smile.