Pudong New Area People's Court has ordered a Shanghai-based online retailer and two Beijing-based jewelry companies to pay 180,000 yuan ($29,008) in compensation to the French jewelry giant Cartier for trademark infringement, the court said Monday.
The court ruled that the two jewelry companies used the Cartier brand in their advertisements to attract customers without the French company's permission, according to a press release from the court.
Cartier filed a lawsuit in July 2012 against the companies, Beijing Mengkela Science and Technology Co Ltd and Beijing Huixintianyuan Science and Trade Co Ltd, as well as yihaodian.com, the popular Shanghai-based shopping website that sold the products of the latter company.
In its lawsuit, Cartier argued that the jewelry companies misled consumers by using the words "Cartier classic style" without authorization, the press release said. It also accused the defendants of unfair competition and infringing on its trademark. It demanded 550,000 yuan in damages and a public apology.
In its ruling, the court agreed that the advertisements may have confused consumers about the quality and style of real Cartier jewelry.
Because yihaodian.com sold the jewelry from Huixintianyuan Science and Trade, the court ruled that it was partially liable for damages to Cartier and had to pay a portion of the compensation.