By Kevin McCoy

Tiffany has beaten Costco to the tune of at least $19.4 million in a trademark infringement battle over alleged knock-off rings that pitted the luxury jeweler against the membership warehouse giant.

Costco must pay the financial damages for its years-long practice of selling rings with signs that said “Tiffany” without any modifiers to indicate the items were not made by the world-famed New York City jewelry company, a  judge ruled Monday.

In all, Costco owes Tiffany $11.1 million, three times the estimated profit the Issaquah, Wa.-based company made on sales of the rings, U.S. District Court Judge Laura Taylor Swain wrote in a 17-page decision. She also ordered Costco to pay $8.25 million in legal damages and issued a permanent injunction that bars the company from using the Tiffany name.

Tiffany initially sued Costco in a Valentines Day 2013 trademark infringement and counterfeiting lawsuit. The lawsuit charged that a consumer shopping in Costco's Huntington Beach, Calif., warehouse complained that “Costco was offering for sale what were promoted on in-store signs as Tiffany diamond engagement rings.”

Read full article and learn more about Trademark Infringement here.

Here’s How To Make Sure You, Your Business & Website Is FTC Compliant

By now it should be clear how important it is for you to be FTC compliant. But how can you do that without spending $7,500-$8,000 or more on Internet Attorneys?

Smart business owners around the world are doing it with the help of FTC Guardian.

FTC Guardian is a service that is 100% focused on helping to keep you get and stay FTC compliant and fully protected. And right now, we are offering a free training to give you the knowledge, information, and guidance that you need to stay out of trouble with the Federal Trade Commission.

Free Compliance Workshop: Join Chip Cooper, Esq., the #1 FTC Compliance trainer in the World, for a one-of-kind, completely free online compliance workshop. Workshops fill up quickly, so register now.

Here are some of the things you’ll discover on the training:

• Real-Life Examples of People Who Didn’t Think They Were At Risk, But Who Got Nailed By The FTC, And Why It Could Happen To You, Too

• The 3 Enormous Powers The FTC Has That Can Change Your Life – And Your Family’s Life – Forever!

• How to Avoid FTC Claims When Collecting Leads With Optin Forms

• 3 Privacy Policy Mistakes Every Digital Marketer Is Making, And Why You’re In The FTC Crosshairs.

• And Much More…

Remember: legal protection is a massively important part of your business, and it’s one you cannot afford to ignore any longer.

Go here to register for our next FREE training and make your business is FTC compliant today!

Disclaimer:  This article is provided for informational purposes only. It’s not legal advice, and no attorney-client relationship is created. Neither the author nor FTC Guardian, Inc. is endorsed by the Federal Trade Commission.