Swedish home furnishings retailer Ikea has been ordered to pay 300,000 kronor ($44,000) in damages to American company Mag Instrument Inc. for trademark infringement.
The fine was announced Monday after the Helsingborg District Court ruled that a flashlight sold in Ikea stores was too similar to the Mini Maglite.
The court also ordered Ikea to pay about 4 million kronor ($585,000) in legal costs to Ontario, Calif.-based Mag Instrument, but Ikea spokesman Fredrik Wahrolen said Tuesday that the Swedish company may appeal. "We're considering now whether we'll take it to the next level," he said.
Privately held Mag Instrument filed the suit in 1999, seeking 560,000 kronor ($82,000) in damages.
The flashlight, which the court said had a design almost identical to the Mini Maglite, has since been removed from Ikea stores, Wahrolen said.
