In The UK, A New Weapon Against The On-Line Counterfeit Trade

Dorsey & Whitney attorney Ron Moscona reviews the currently available methods of addressing online sales of counterfeit products and finds them useful but not sufficient. These methods include proceedings against website operators, orders against payment of services, and product seizures at customs. To this arsenal, in the UK context, we can now add another: the website blocking order. This procedure is an adaptation of a tool that has been used for a number of years by English courts in cases of copyright infringement. Website blocking orders are not a magic cure either, Moscona writes, but they have the potential to make a big dent in the counterfeit products trade.