Canada Goose wins counterfeit lawsuit

Canadian premium arctic outerwear manufacturer Canada Goose has won a lawsuit against counterfeiters in Thailand and Sweden, the company announced. The District Court of Stockholm convicted five Swedish nationals of purchasing low-quality imitations of coats and parkas designed for use in the arctic from a counterfeiter in Thailand. The knockoffs were sold throughout Europe between 2009 and 2012, the company said in a release from its Toronto headquarters. Two defendants were sentenced to undisclosed prison time and the court awarded the company slightly more than $100,000 in damages, the release said. Genuine Canada Goose outerwear is made with coyote fur as a trim around the hood and uses premium down. The company said the fakes fell far short of its standards. The fur trim on the counterfeits was raccoon and the insulation was found to be "feather mulch and other fillers, which are often coated in bacteria, fungus, mildew and even feces." In handing down its sentence, the court noted as much as 10 percent of goods sold in the European Union are counterfeit.