The Times Online is reporting that a ruling against eBay by a French Court earlier this week would lead to similar lawsuits to block the sale of fake goods on the internet auction site.

eBay were ordered to pay nearly 40 million Euros (30+ million pounds) to Louis Vuitton’s designers for allowing fake handbags and clothes to be sold on its website. eBay plans to appeal against the judgement.

Robert Alpert, a litigation partner with Ladas & Parry, an international intellectual property law firm in New York, is quoted as saying: “I expect this ruling to encourage a number of other designers to sue eBay as well.”