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Christian Dior Sues Café Dior for $2 Million Over Trademark Infringement
On April 9, 2024, Christian Dior Couture filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts against Café Dior, a café operating in Springfield, Massachusetts. The luxury fashion brand alleged that the café had wilfully infringed upon its trademarks by using a name strikingly similar to its own and ignoring numerous…
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The Ritz-Carlton Fined $535,000 for Hazardous Waste Violations in California
Environmental regulations have long been non-negotiable, and luxury hotel brands are no exception. In 2022, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, renowned for its high-end accommodations, faced a $535,000 civil penalty for mishandling hazardous waste across its eight California properties, including its Rancho Mirage location in Riverside County. Court Judgment Highlights Mismanagement A judgment issued by the…
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Ferrari vs. Philipp Plein: The Price of Trademark Missteps
Ferrari has made its position unmistakable: its trademarks are not open to reinterpretation. A dispute involving Philipp Plein’s unauthorised use of Ferrari’s trademarks has led to significant penalties, drawing attention from the fashion and automotive industries. Rulings by Italian courts highlight the serious consequences of misusing trademarks, particularly those tied to luxury brands. The Instagram…
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Levi’s Strikes Again: Philipp Plein’s Tab Trademark Troubles
Levi Strauss & Co. has once again taken legal action to defend its iconic tab trademark. The denim brand has filed a lawsuit against Philipp Plein International and Philipp Plein Americas, alleging that Plein’s use of black tabs with the word “Plein” on their apparel infringes on Levi’s trademark rights. The lawsuit, filed in December…
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Walmart’s Wirkin: Is It Crossing the Line of Fashion Imitation?
The Hermes Birkin bag stands as a pinnacle of luxury, with a starting price exceeding $12,000. Far beyond being merely an expensive accessory, it represents exclusivity, attainable only by those who have built a relationship with Hermes. Prospective buyers often invest significantly in other Hermes products before receiving the opportunity to acquire a Birkin. Its…
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Piaget’s Timely Action: Securing the Brand One Domain at a Time
Piaget, the Swiss luxury brand renowned for its high-end watches and jewellery, faced a domain name dispute involving the protection of its trademark. The conflict centered on two domain names, piagetwatch(dot)com and piagetwatches(dot)com, which were deemed confusingly similar to the Piaget trademark. The Complaint Richemont, the Swiss luxury group behind Piaget, alleged that the domain…
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Montblanc’s Fight to Protect Its Name: The Case of the Counterfeit Pens
Counterfeit products have plagued luxury brands for decades, threatening their reputation and customer trust. In one such case, Montblanc, the renowned German manufacturer of luxury writing instruments, successfully defended its trademark rights against a group of counterfeiters operating under the guise of a legitimate e-commerce platform. The Case at Hand Montblanc, a German brand known…
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ISSEY MIYAKE’s BAO BAO Bag Protected by Tokyo Court in Design Dispute
The Tokyo District Court has ruled in favour of ISSEY MIYAKE in a dispute concerning the well-known BAO BAO bag, awarding damages of JPY 71 million (approximately USD 49,500) against Largu Co., Ltd. The case confirms a clear legal position in Japan: creative design, once commercially distinctive, is protectable under the Unfair Competition Prevention Act.…
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Levi’s Blank Tab: The Subtle Art of Trademark Protection
Levi’s Blank Tab, one of the most frequently copied trademarks in the world! Levi Strauss & Co. has built its reputation on durable denim and innovative branding. Central to this legacy is the trademarked Tab, a small but very important element of the Levi’s brand. Today, we are discussing the blank Tab or plain tab…
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Gucci vs Guess Dispute: From Lawsuit to Resolution
The gucci vs guess trademark dispute offers a clear view of the challenges involved in protecting brand identity in fashion. What began with Gucci’s decision to take legal action over the alleged imitation of its distinctive design features developed into a prolonged conflict across multiple jurisdictions. While Gucci secured favourable rulings in some courts, the…
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Rolling Into Trouble: Vans vs. MSCHF and the ‘Wavy Baby’ Sneakers
The dispute between Vans and MSCHF over the Wavy Baby sneakers was anything but a smooth ride. Vans claimed that MSCHF’s shoes infringed upon its Old Skool trade dress, while MSCHF contended that the sneakers were a form of parody protected by the First Amendment. This case is not merely about shoes; it’s a legal…
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Valentino vs. Valentino: The Fight Over a Name
Two brands. One iconic name. Endless confusion. For decades, Mario Valentino and Valentino Garavani have battled over the rights to a name synonymous with Italian craftsmanship and elegance. If you have ever spotted a Valentino handbag and paused to wonder which brand it belongs to, you are not alone. This is not just a legal…
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Culinary Creations and Intellectual Property: Why Are Recipes Hard to Protect?
What protects a chef’s years of work on a dish if it can be copied without consequence? Culinary creations combine creativity, skill, and artistry, yet they often fall outside the scope of intellectual property protection. The laws designed to safeguard creative works do not always apply to the culinary arts, leaving chefs with limited options…
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Paul Smith vs. Judy Stabile: A Copyright Infringement Case Over Stripes
Stripes were at the center of this dispute, but it wasn’t another Adidas case. Instead, Paul Smith and The Rug Company faced a copyright infringement claim from Judy Stabile, who alleged that their Carnival Rug copied her paintings. This case focuses on two critical issues: whether the defendants had access to Stabile’s work and whether…