Written by: Susan Neuberger Weller

 Counterfeit goods seem to be everywhere, and efforts to police their ubiquitous existence often seem futile. However, a recent decision involving counterfeit Coach products should inspire those who host vendors of counterfeit products to rethink their business strategy.

Last month, the US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in Coach, Inc. et al v. Frederick Goodfellow ,no. 12-5666 (6th Cir. 2013) confirmed a district court’s award of $5,000,000 in damages and an additional $186, 000 in attorneys’ fees to Coach for a flea market owner’s failure to stop his vendors from selling counterfeit Coach goods.