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Business Standard
02-08-2025
- Automotive
- Business Standard
India's CamCom Technologies Announces Strategic Partnership with ERGO Group AG in Landmark Global AI Deployment for Insurance Sector
NewsVoir Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], August 2: In a major milestone for India's deep-tech ecosystem, CamCom Technologies, an award-winning, industry-agnostic computer vision company headquartered in Bengaluru, has entered into a strategic partnership with ERGO Group AG, one of Europe's leading insurance groups. Under this collaboration, CamCom will serve as the primary technology partner for ERGO's AI-powered visual inspection solution, which is now being rolled out across multiple European markets. The partnership signals CamCom's growing global footprint and affirms its position as a world-class platform delivering enterprise-ready AI solutions for critical sectors. The solution is already live in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, with phased rollouts planned across other ERGO markets in Europe. CamCom's proprietary Large Vision Model (LVM) -- the world's first domain-specific AI engine for defect and damage detection on surfaces -- is trained on a dataset of over 450 million customer-validated images. It allows insurance customers to capture and upload images of vehicles or properties via their smartphones, enabling accurate, auditable, and scalable pre-inspection and damage assessments. This reduces subjectivity, improves efficiency, and enhances transparency for both insurers and customers. "We are proud to be ERGO's trusted technology partner," said Geetha Sham, Director and President - Europe, CamCom Technologies. "This partnership marks a milestone in our global journey and reinforces our commitment to delivering scalable, high-performance AI solutions that are tailored to the specific needs of the insurance sector." "Good technology is not just innovative -- it must be practical, scalable, and intuitive," said Mark Klein, Chief Digital Officer and Member of the Board of Management, ERGO Group AG. "CamCom's AI solution meets all these criteria, and we're excited to expand this collaboration beyond India and into our European markets, where we operate in motor and homeowners' insurance classes. Together, we aim to simplify and digitize insurance experiences for our customers' workflows, helping validate the platform's robustness, accuracy, and scale in real-world applications. The partnership with ERGO Group AG signals the success and maturity of this collaboration", he added. Parthanil Ghosh, Executive Director, HDFC ERGO General Insurance Company Limited, commented "Our long-standing partnership with CamCom has brought measurable improvements to our automotive claims and underwriting operations. Their AI-driven inspection solutions have enhanced efficiency, accuracy, and customer experience -- we are pleased to see this proven technology now supporting ERGO Group's global initiatives." Ajith Nayar, CEO of CamCom Technologies said, "CamCom as an industry-agnostic computer vision platform, we have built world-class solutions that are not only accurate and scalable, but also trusted by global enterprises and Governments. With the onboarding of an esteemed brand like ERGO Group AG, we are expanding our global footprint and reaffirming our commitment to delivering AI innovation that drives real-world impact from India." CamCom's platform is currently deployed by over 15 insurance companies across globally. The platform complies with region-specific regulations, including GDPR in Europe and IRDAI guidelines in India -- enabling secure, compliant, and efficient integration across geographies. This partnership is also aligned with ERGO's broader ambition to be the digital leader in insurance by 2025 and reflects the group's continued investment in innovative technologies through platforms like the ERGO ScaleHub in Dusseldorf. *Subject to IRDAI approvals CamCom, an award-winning, industry-agnostic Computer Vision (CV) platform, is revolutionising defect and damage assessment on all surfaces. They are pioneers in leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI) and associated technologies in the visual inspection process. CamCom's expertise lies in assessing micro-defects during production and macro-damages in the aftermarket, which is often subjective and inconsistent. The impactful CamCom AI solutions increase efficiency, prevent defective product seepage, and offer non-linear scalability. Their track record includes successful implementations in various industries across the globe, demonstrating their capabilities and reliability. For more information, please visit: ERGO is one of the largest insurance groups in Germany and Europe. The Group is represented in over 20 countries worldwide, with a focus on Europe and Asia. ERGO offers an extensive product portfolio for private and corporate clients in every key insurance category, as well as end-to-end support and services. Three separate units operating under the umbrella of ERGO Group AG - ERGO Deutschland AG, ERGO International AG, and ERGO Technology & Services Management AG - manage the ERGO Group's businesses and activities. The German and international businesses as well as global management of IT and technology services are organised in these units. Around 37,000 people work for the Group, either as salaried employees or as full-time, independent agents. In the 2024 financial year, ERGO generated insurance revenue of EUR20.8bn and a result of EUR810m. ERGO is part of Munich Re, one of the world's leading reinsurers and risk carriers. You can find more information at HDFC ERGO General Insurance Company Limited, one of the leading private sector general insurance companies of India, whose promoters are HDFC Bank Limited, one of India's leading private sector banks, and ERGO International AG, the primary insurance entity of Munich Re Group. A digital-first company, transforming into an AI-first company, HDFC ERGO is a leader in implementing technology to offer customers the best-in-class service experience. HDFC ERGO offers a complete range of General Insurance products including Health, Motor, Home, Agriculture, Travel, Credit, Cyber and Personal Accident in the retail space along with Property, Marine, Engineering, Marine Cargo, Group Health and Liability Insurance in the corporate space. Be it unique insurance products, integrated customer service models, top-in-class claim processes or a host of technologically innovative solutions, HDFC ERGO has been able to delight its customers at every touchpoint and milestone. The Company has created a stream of innovative & new products as well as services using technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), Natural Processing Language (NLP), and Robotics. HDFC ERGO offers a range of general insurance products and has a completely digital sales process with 299 branches and 600+ digital offices across India. HDFC ERGO's technology platform has empowered the customers to avail services digitally on a 24x7 basis, with 70%+ claims for retail products intimated digitally and over 80% of service interactions are catered digitally of which 10% are AI led. The Company issued ~3.4 crore policies in FY25 and has one of the best claims payout ratios in the General Insurance industry. Please log on to or stay connected on the following social media handles to get more information on HDFC ERGO and the products and services offered by the company. This media information contains forward-looking statements that are based on current assumptions and forecasts of the management of CamCom Technologies, the ERGO Group and HDFC ERGO General Insurance. Known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the forward-looking statements given here and actual developments, in particular the results, financial situation and performance of the Companies. The company assumes no liability to update these forward-looking statements, or to adjust them to future events or developments.
Fashion Value Chain
02-08-2025
- Automotive
- Fashion Value Chain
India's CamCom Technologies Announces Strategic Partnership with ERGO Group AG in Landmark Global AI Deployment for Insurance Sector
In a major milestone for India's deep-tech ecosystem, CamCom Technologies, an award-winning, industry-agnostic computer vision company headquartered in Bengaluru, has entered into a strategic partnership with ERGO Group AG, one of Europe's leading insurance groups. Under this collaboration, CamCom will serve as the primary technology partner for ERGO's AI-powered visual inspection solution, which is now being rolled out across multiple European markets. Team CamCom, ERGO AG & HDFC ERGO at the strategic partnership event in Bengaluru The partnership signals CamCom's growing global footprint and affirms its position as a world-class platform delivering enterprise-ready AI solutions for critical sectors. The solution is already live in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, with phased rollouts planned across other ERGO markets in Europe. CamCom's proprietary Large Vision Model (LVM) – the world's first domain-specific AI engine for defect and damage detection on surfaces – is trained on a dataset of over 450 million customer-validated images. It allows insurance customers to capture and upload images of vehicles or properties via their smartphones, enabling accurate, auditable, and scalable pre-inspection and damage assessments. This reduces subjectivity, improves efficiency, and enhances transparency for both insurers and customers. 'We are proud to be ERGO's trusted technology partner,' said Geetha Sham, Director and President – Europe, CamCom Technologies. 'This partnership marks a milestone in our global journey and reinforces our commitment to delivering scalable, high-performance AI solutions that are tailored to the specific needs of the insurance sector.' 'Good technology is not just innovative – it must be practical, scalable, and intuitive,' said Mark Klein, Chief Digital Officer and Member of the Board of Management, ERGO Group AG. 'CamCom's AI solution meets all these criteria, and we're excited to expand this collaboration beyond India and into our European markets, where we operate in motor and homeowners' insurance classes. Together, we aim to simplify and digitize insurance experiences for our customers' workflows, helping validate the platform's robustness, accuracy, and scale in real-world applications. The partnership with ERGO Group AG signals the success and maturity of this collaboration', he added. Parthanil Ghosh, Executive Director, HDFC ERGO General Insurance Company Limited, commented 'Our long-standing partnership with CamCom has brought measurable improvements to our automotive claims and underwriting operations. Their AI-driven inspection solutions have enhanced efficiency, accuracy, and customer experience – we are pleased to see this proven technology now supporting ERGO Group's global initiatives.' Ajith Nayar, CEO of CamCom Technologies said, 'CamCom as an industry-agnostic computer vision platform, we have built world-class solutions that are not only accurate and scalable, but also trusted by global enterprises and Governments. With the onboarding of an esteemed brand like ERGO Group AG, we are expanding our global footprint and reaffirming our commitment to delivering AI innovation that drives real-world impact from India.' CamCom's platform is currently deployed by over 15 insurance companies across globally. The platform complies with region-specific regulations, including GDPR in Europe and IRDAI guidelines in India – enabling secure, compliant, and efficient integration across geographies. This partnership is also aligned with ERGO's broader ambition to be the digital leader in insurance by 2025 and reflects the group's continued investment in innovative technologies through platforms like the ERGO ScaleHub in Dsseldorf. *Subject to IRDAI approvals About CamCom CamCom, an award-winning, industry-agnostic Computer Vision (CV) platform, is revolutionising defect and damage assessment on all surfaces. They are pioneers in leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI) and associated technologies in the visual inspection process. CamCom's expertise lies in assessing micro-defects during production and macro-damages in the aftermarket, which is often subjective and inconsistent. The impactful CamCom AI solutions increase efficiency, prevent defective product seepage, and offer non-linear scalability. Their track record includes successful implementations in various industries across the globe, demonstrating their capabilities and reliability. For more information, please visit: About ERGO Group AG ERGO is one of the largest insurance groups in Germany and Europe. The Group is represented in over 20 countries worldwide, with a focus on Europe and Asia. ERGO offers an extensive product portfolio for private and corporate clients in every key insurance category, as well as end-to-end support and services. Three separate units operating under the umbrella of ERGO Group AG – ERGO Deutschland AG, ERGO International AG, and ERGO Technology & Services Management AG – manage the ERGO Group's businesses and activities. The German and international businesses as well as global management of IT and technology services are organised in these units. Around 37,000 people work for the Group, either as salaried employees or as full-time, independent agents. In the 2024 financial year, ERGO generated insurance revenue of €20.8bn and a result of €810m. ERGO is part of Munich Re, one of the world's leading reinsurers and risk carriers. You can find more information at About HDFC ERGO HDFC ERGO General Insurance Company Limited, one of the leading private sector general insurance companies of India, whose promoters are HDFC Bank Limited, one of India's leading private sector banks, and ERGO International AG, the primary insurance entity of Munich Re Group. A digital-first company, transforming into an AI-first company, HDFC ERGO is a leader in implementing technology to offer customers the best-in-class service experience. HDFC ERGO offers a complete range of General Insurance products including Health, Motor, Home, Agriculture, Travel, Credit, Cyber and Personal Accident in the retail space along with Property, Marine, Engineering, Marine Cargo, Group Health and Liability Insurance in the corporate space. Be it unique insurance products, integrated customer service models, top-in-class claim processes or a host of technologically innovative solutions, HDFC ERGO has been able to delight its customers at every touchpoint and milestone. The Company has created a stream of innovative & new products as well as services using technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), Natural Processing Language (NLP), and Robotics. HDFC ERGO offers a range of general insurance products and has a completely digital sales process with 299 branches and 600+ digital offices across India. HDFC ERGO's technology platform has empowered the customers to avail services digitally on a 24×7 basis, with 70%+ claims for retail products intimated digitally and over 80% of service interactions are catered digitally of which 10% are AI led. The Company issued ~3.4 crore policies in FY25 and has one of the best claims payout ratios in the General Insurance industry. Please log on to or stay connected on the following social media handles to get more information on HDFC ERGO and the products and services offered by the company. Facebook: Twitter: LinkedIn: YouTube: Disclaimer This media information contains forward-looking statements that are based on current assumptions and forecasts of the management of CamCom Technologies, the ERGO Group and HDFC ERGO General Insurance. Known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the forward-looking statements given here and actual developments, in particular the results, financial situation and performance of the Companies. The company assumes no liability to update these forward-looking statements, or to adjust them to future events or developments.
Singapore Law Watch
07-07-2025
- Business
- Singapore Law Watch
High Court orders Instagram seller to pay Louis Vuitton $200,000 in damages over counterfeit goods
High Court orders Instagram seller to pay Louis Vuitton $200,000 in damages over counterfeit goods Source: Straits Times Article Date: 07 Jul 2025 Author: Toh Yong Chuan The fakes were passed off as genuine and sold at a fraction of the price of the real items. An Instagram seller who sold fake Louis Vuitton items as authentic and ghosted the High Court during court proceedings has been ordered to pay $200,000 in damages to the French luxury fashion house for trademark infringements. Mr Ng Hoe Seng, operating under Instagram accounts 'emcase_sg' and 'emcrafts_sg', sold counterfeit goods such as phone cases, passport covers, card holders and purses through the social media platform. The fakes were passed off as genuine and sold at a fraction of the price of the real items – a fake passport cover, for instance, was priced at $159, compared with $560 to $945 for the real thing. Louis Vuitton Malletier (LVM) discovered the infringements in July 2022 and conducted a sting operation. A representative made test purchases worth $2,100 from Mr Ng's first Instagram account 'emcase_sg'. LVM confirmed the goods were counterfeit and issued a cease-and-desist letter in March 2023. Instead of stopping, Mr Ng shifted operations to a new Instagram account, 'emcrafts_sg', and resumed sales. To catch him again, an LVM representative made a second undercover purchase. The company later filed a lawsuit in August 2023. Mr Ng ignored the proceedings and did not appear in court. On Nov 30, 2023, the High Court ruled in LVM's favour and went on to assess damages. Computing its damages, LVM said it should be awarded $4.84 million in damages but claimed $2.9 million against Mr Ng – based on 29 infringing acts at $100,000 each, the statutory cap. But Justice Dedar Singh Gill disagreed with the claims. 'The claimant's proposed quantum of $2.9 million is grossly excessive,' he said in a written judgment on July 2. He limited the maximum award to $900,000, or $100,000 for each of the nine different types of goods where there were infringements, ultimately awarding $200,000. While LVM argued that the counterfeits dilute its brand, the judge questioned the financial impact. 'I have my doubts as to whether the claimant will suffer lost sales in any significant way... knock-offs of luxury goods are usually not substitutable with the genuine goods.' He added: 'One must bear in mind that the defendant is a sole proprietor operating through a social media channel. He is not a large-scale manufacturer who has distributed the offending goods to other retailers and sparked other chains of infringement.' In his judgment, Justice Gill highlighted the deceptive marketing tactics Mr Ng used to promote the fake products on Instagram. 'The defendant's modus operandi when it came to promoting his products was to re-post Instagram posts and/or stories by customers who had purchased his products... ostensibly with the aim of thanking them and showing off their rave reviews,' he said. 'In my view, this has the effect of compounding the defendant's false representations.' He added that Mr Ng had 'deployed his coterie of 'influencers' to propagate the misrepresentation about his 'authentic' products more widely to his followers and the public at large'. Justice Gill also addressed Mr Ng's claim on Instagram that the products were 'upcycled' from real Louis Vuitton goods. 'This was a lie upon a lie which compounded the false representation perpetrated upon members of the public,' he wrote. Upcycling typically refers to the reuse of discarded material or waste to create a product of higher value or quality than the original. The judge further warned of the risks posed by online sellers who can easily evade enforcement. 'Such online retailers can easily spread out all of their eggs in multiple baskets by setting up different online platforms at relatively low costs to sell their goods,' he said. 'An online retailer can avail himself of a hydra-like approach to continuing his infringement – in that even if one head is sliced off, another can easily spring up.' Justice Gill criticised Mr Ng for flouting a previous court order by making his Instagram account private – while still allowing his followers to view it. 'It was clearly an attempt by the defendant to mask his infringing activities (and potentially continue the infringement).' The judge also rebuked Mr Ng over his refusal to take part in the legal proceedings. 'The defendant did not participate in any part of these proceedings, thus depriving the claimant of an opportunity to discover the full extent of his infringement to prosecute its claim and quantify its losses,' he wrote. 'A strong message needs to be sent to the defendant that he may be able to run from the claimant, but he will not be able to hide from the long arms of the law.' Justice Gill concluded: 'The defendant has shown himself to be a recalcitrant infringer, and he will need to face the consequences accordingly.' LVM was represented by lawyers Ravindran Muthucumarasamy, Chan Wenqiang and Edwin Neo Xuan Hao from Ravindran Associates. Mr Ng was unrepresented. Despite the High Court victory, it remains uncertain whether LVM will recover the $200,000. As at July 3, Mr Ng's registered business EMCASE SG has ceased registration with the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority and his two known Instagram accounts have vanished. However, a similarly named account – ' – remains active, appearing to sell Louis Vuitton-branded goods. Toh Yong Chuan is The Straits Times' assistant business editor, covering manpower, political and policy issues, and law. He is an advocate and solicitor of the Supreme Court. Source: The Straits Times © SPH Media Limited. Permission required for reproduction. Print
AsiaOne
07-07-2025
- Business
- AsiaOne
High Court orders Instagram seller to pay Louis Vuitton $200k in damages over counterfeit goods, Singapore News
SINGAPORE - An Instagram seller who sold fake Louis Vuitton items as authentic and ghosted the High Court during court proceedings has been ordered to pay $200,000 in damages to the French luxury fashion house for trademark infringements. Mr Ng Hoe Seng, operating under Instagram accounts 'emcase_sg' and 'emcrafts_sg', sold counterfeit goods such as phone cases, passport covers, card holders and purses through the social media platform. The fakes were passed off as genuine and sold at a fraction of the price of the real items – a fake passport cover, for instance, was priced at $159, compared with $560 to $945 for the real thing. Louis Vuitton Malletier (LVM) discovered the infringements in July 2022 and conducted a sting operation. A representative made test purchases worth $2,100 from Mr Ng's first Instagram account 'emcase_sg'. LVM confirmed the goods were counterfeit and issued a cease-and-desist letter in March 2023. Instead of stopping, Mr Ng shifted operations to a new Instagram account, 'emcrafts_sg', and resumed sales. To catch him again, an LVM representative made a second undercover purchase. The company later filed a lawsuit in August 2023. Mr Ng ignored the proceedings and did not appear in court. On Nov 30, 2023, the High Court ruled in LVM's favour and went on to assess damages. Computing its damages, LVM said it should be awarded $4.84 million in damages but claimed $2.9 million against Mr Ng – based on 29 infringing acts at $100,000 each, the statutory cap. But Justice Dedar Singh Gill disagreed with the claims. 'The claimant's proposed quantum of $2.9 million is grossly excessive,' he said in a written judgment on July 2. He limited the maximum award to $900,000, or $100,000 for each of the nine different types of goods where there were infringements, ultimately awarding $200,000. While LVM argued that the counterfeits dilute its brand, the judge questioned the financial impact. 'I have my doubts as to whether the claimant will suffer lost sales in any significant way... knock-offs of luxury goods are usually not substitutable with the genuine goods.' He added: 'One must bear in mind that the defendant is a sole proprietor operating through a social media channel. He is not a large-scale manufacturer who has distributed the offending goods to other retailers and sparked other chains of infringement.' In his judgment, Justice Gill highlighted the deceptive marketing tactics Mr Ng used to promote the fake products on Instagram. 'The defendant's modus operandi when it came to promoting his products was to re-post Instagram posts and/or stories by customers who had purchased his products... ostensibly with the aim of thanking them and showing off their rave reviews,' he said. 'In my view, this has the effect of compounding the defendant's false representations.' He added that Mr Ng had 'deployed his coterie of 'influencers' to propagate the misrepresentation about his 'authentic' products more widely to his followers and the public at large'. In his judgment, Justice Gill highlighted the deceptive marketing tactics Mr Ng used to promote the fake products on Instagram. Justice Gill also addressed Mr Ng's claim on Instagram that the products were 'upcycled' from real Louis Vuitton goods. 'This was a lie upon a lie which compounded the false representation perpetrated upon members of the public,' he wrote. Upcycling typically refers to the reuse of discarded material or waste to create a product of higher value or quality than the original. The judge further warned of the risks posed by online sellers who can easily evade enforcement. 'Such online retailers can easily spread out all of their eggs in multiple baskets by setting up different online platforms at relatively low costs to sell their goods,' he said. 'An online retailer can avail himself of a hydra-like approach to continuing his infringement – in that even if one head is sliced off, another can easily spring up.' Mr Ng Hoe Seng, operating under Instagram accounts 'emcase_sg' and 'emcrafts_sg', sold counterfeit goods such as phone cases, passport covers, card holders and purses through the social media platform. Justice Gill criticised Mr Ng for flouting a previous court order by making his Instagram account private – while still allowing his followers to view it. 'It was clearly an attempt by the defendant to mask his infringing activities (and potentially continue the infringement).' The judge also rebuked Mr Ng over his refusal to take part in the legal proceedings. 'The defendant did not participate in any part of these proceedings, thus depriving the claimant of an opportunity to discover the full extent of his infringement to prosecute its claim and quantify its losses,' he wrote. 'A strong message needs to be sent to the defendant that he may be able to run from the claimant, but he will not be able to hide from the long arms of the law.' The judge further warned of the risks posed by online sellers who can easily evade enforcement. Justice Gill concluded: 'The defendant has shown himself to be a recalcitrant infringer, and he will need to face the consequences accordingly.' LVM was represented by lawyers Ravindran Muthucumarasamy, Chan Wenqiang and Edwin Neo Xuan Hao from Ravindran Associates. Mr Ng was unrepresented. Despite the High Court victory, it remains uncertain whether LVM will recover the $200,000. As at July 3, Mr Ng's registered business EMCASE SG has ceased registration with the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority and his two known Instagram accounts have vanished. However, a similarly named account – ' – remains active, appearing to sell Louis Vuitton-branded goods. This article was first published in The Straits Times . Permission required for reproduction.
Business Times
06-07-2025
- Business
- Business Times
High Court orders Instagram seller to pay Louis Vuitton S$200,000 in damages over counterfeit goods
[SINGAPORE] An Instagram seller who sold fake Louis Vuitton items as authentic and ghosted the High Court during court proceedings has been ordered to pay S$200,000 in damages to the French luxury fashion house for trademark infringements. Ng Hoe Seng, operating under Instagram accounts 'emcase_sg' and 'emcrafts_sg', sold counterfeit goods such as phone cases, passport covers, card holders and purses through the social media platform. The fakes were passed off as genuine and sold at a fraction of the price of the real items – a fake passport cover, for instance, was priced at S$159, compared with S$560 to S$945 for the real thing. Louis Vuitton Malletier (LVM) discovered the infringements in July 2022 and conducted a sting operation. A representative made test purchases worth S$2,100 from Ng's first Instagram account 'emcase_sg'. LVM confirmed the goods were counterfeit and issued a cease-and-desist letter in March 2023. Instead of stopping, Ng shifted operations to a new Instagram account, 'emcrafts_sg', and resumed sales. To catch him again, an LVM representative made a second undercover purchase. The company later filed a lawsuit in August 2023. Ng ignored the proceedings and did not appear in court. On Nov 30, 2023, the High Court ruled in LVM's favour and went on to assess damages. Computing its damages, LVM said it should be awarded S$4.84 million in damages but claimed S$2.9 million against Ng – based on 29 infringing acts at S$100,000 each, the statutory cap. But justice Dedar Singh Gill disagreed with the claims. BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up 'The claimant's proposed quantum of S$2.9 million is grossly excessive,' he said in a written judgment on Jul 2. He limited the maximum award to S$900,000, or S$100,000 for each of the nine different types of goods where there were infringements, ultimately awarding S$200,000. While LVM argued that the counterfeits dilute its brand, the judge questioned the financial impact. 'I have my doubts as to whether the claimant will suffer lost sales in any significant way... knock-offs of luxury goods are usually not substitutable with the genuine goods.' He added: 'One must bear in mind that the defendant is a sole proprietor operating through a social media channel. He is not a large-scale manufacturer who has distributed the offending goods to other retailers and sparked other chains of infringement.' In his judgment, justice Gill highlighted the deceptive marketing tactics Ng used to promote the fake products on Instagram. 'The defendant's modus operandi when it came to promoting his products was to re-post Instagram posts and/or stories by customers who had purchased his products... ostensibly with the aim of thanking them and showing off their rave reviews,' he said. 'In my view, this has the effect of compounding the defendant's false representations.' He added that Ng had 'deployed his coterie of 'influencers' to propagate the misrepresentation about his 'authentic' products more widely to his followers and the public at large'. Justice Gill also addressed Ng's claim on Instagram that the products were 'upcycled' from real Louis Vuitton goods. 'This was a lie upon a lie which compounded the false representation perpetrated upon members of the public,' he wrote. Upcycling typically refers to the reuse of discarded material or waste to create a product of higher value or quality than the original. The judge further warned of the risks posed by online sellers who can easily evade enforcement. 'Such online retailers can easily spread out all of their eggs in multiple baskets by setting up different online platforms at relatively low costs to sell their goods,' he said. 'An online retailer can avail himself of a hydra-like approach to continuing his infringement – in that even if one head is sliced off, another can easily spring up.' Justice Gill criticised Ng for flouting a previous court order by making his Instagram account private – while still allowing his followers to view it. 'It was clearly an attempt by the defendant to mask his infringing activities (and potentially continue the infringement).' The judge also rebuked Ng over his refusal to take part in the legal proceedings. 'The defendant did not participate in any part of these proceedings, thus depriving the claimant of an opportunity to discover the full extent of his infringement to prosecute its claim and quantify its losses,' he wrote. 'A strong message needs to be sent to the defendant that he may be able to run from the claimant, but he will not be able to hide from the long arms of the law.' Justice Gill concluded: 'The defendant has shown himself to be a recalcitrant infringer, and he will need to face the consequences accordingly.' LVM was represented by lawyers Ravindran Muthucumarasamy, Chan Wenqiang and Edwin Neo Xuan Hao from Ravindran Associates. Ng was unrepresented. Despite the High Court victory, it remains uncertain whether LVM will recover the S$200,000. As at Jul 3, Ng's registered business EMCASE SG has ceased registration with the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority and his two known Instagram accounts have vanished. However, a similarly named account – ' – remains active, appearing to sell Louis Vuitton-branded goods. THE STRAITS TIMES
