This is the first time I have ever seen a counterfeiter in Korea lose a lawsuit like this:

At left is a Santa V-branded bag, which a Seoul-based manufacturer imitated from the iconic Louis Vuitton speedy bag.

Louis Vuitton Malletier, a unit of French luxury goods maker LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton, said Thursday that it has won a lawsuit filed last year against a Korean wholesaler, which has been manufacturing and selling imitation bags under the brand Santa V for the past 18 years.

This is the first time the luxury goods retailer has raised a trademark infringement claim in South Korea, sending a warning to domestic abusers of the iconic luxury label.

The lawsuit accused two defendants, identified by the surnames Yoon and Ha, the operators of a shop in central Seoul, of selling and manufacturing Louis Vuitton trademarks and designs since 1991.

The Seoul Central District Court ruled in favor of the European brand, saying that there was a likelihood of confusion based on the “intuitively recognized motif, overall composition, arrangement and expression.”

The defendants appealed twice, pushing the case through to the High Court and Supreme Court. But after the High Court ruled in favor of Louis Vuitton, citing additional grounds of trademark dilution, the Supreme Court last month ended the legal battle by dismissing the appeal and banning Yoon and Ha from selling bags that infringe the Louis Vuitton Monogram.

The world’s largest luxury group declined to disclose the amount it was granted in damages. However, in May 2009, the defendants’ residential property was put under provisional attachment for $240,000 in anticipation of seeking damages.   [Korea Times via reader tip]

So what are the odds of Hollywood winning any forgery cases in Korea are after this ruling?