Whilst it might be tempting to pick up a ‘knock off’ of a luxury brand item from an overseas website (and some sites make the fact that they goods they sell are not genuine – such as the fake on the right – very clear), a decision by the Court of Justice of the European Union might make you pause for thought.
The Court ruled that the person importing such an item into the EU can be guilty of copyright or trade mark infringement and it is lawful for customs officials to seize the goods at the border, even where there has been no sale made in the EU or offer made to sell the goods concerned in the EU.