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EBay win landmark case in US 21 July 2008 Ebay have won a landmark judgment in the US federal courts, which effectively protects their position as an independent trading platform. The culmination of the four-year legal battle with the jewellers Tiffany over who should be held liable for the sale of counterfeit goods on eBay comes only weeks after similar cases in France went against the online giant. On July 14, district judge Richard Sullivan ruled that eBay could not be held responsible for policing their site and that Tiffany must police their own trademark and draw fake jewellery to the auctioneer’s attention. It means that, in the US at least, eBay cannot be forced to vet goods before they are uploaded onto the site – a demand that would have threatened their core business model. At the end of June, the commercial court in Paris ordered eBay to pay £30m compensation to luxury goods manufacturer LVMH for failing to prevent the sale of fake perfume, bags and designer goods. The Fren

Rediscoveries light up Old Masters series 14 July 2008 A rediscovered painting by Jean-Antoine Watteau (1684-1721) was the toast of the Old Master auction series in London last week. Missing for almost 200 years and presumed to have been destroyed, La Surprise was offered at Christie’s evening sale on July 8. It drew at least four interested parties before it was knocked down to London-based dealer Jean-Luc Baroni at £11m. It was purchased for a client. Surpassing its £3m-5m estimate, the price was the highest ever paid for a French Old Master at auction. The previous record for Watteau was set back in December 2000 when Christie’s sold Le conteur, also in London, for a premium-inclusive £2,423,750. Speaking to ATG after the sale, Mr Baroni said that La Surprise was an exceptional work, not only the best ever Watteau to appear on the market but also incredibly well preserved. The 14 1/2 x 11 1/2in (36 x 28cm) oil on panel from c.1718 was previously only known thanks to a copy in the Ro