Court Says eBay Sales of L'Oréal Samples Breach Trademark

EBay Inc. may have to change the way it protects L’Oréal SA’s trademarks after Europe’s highest court said Thursday that the cosmetics company can prohibit the sale on the auction site of free samples and products intended for outside Europe. However, the European Court of Justice’s advocate general, Niilo Jaaskinen, in giving his opinion, said eBay could continue to purchase advertising keywords, including L’Oréal trademarks, in order to direct users of Internet search engines to its site.

Taxiing Advertising in China

Shanghai taxis transport 90 million riders per month. Passengers sit in traffic an average of 18 minutes. Shanghai-based advertising company Touchmedia says those are the ingredients that have helped it raise around $40 million from investors, including a just-completed funding round over $14.6 million in the midst of the young Chinese venture capital industry’s toughest period yet.