Trademark news and archive

Karen Millen wins legal case against eponymous founder

London - Karen Millen, founder of the eponymous fashion brand under the same name, has lost a high court ruling regarding the right to use her own name for a homeware and lifestyle endeavor she aimed to launch in the US and China. The legal dispute stemmed from an agreement Millen made in 2004, when the fashion designer, who founded the brand...

Management

Karen Millen wins legal case against eponymous founder

Business

Million dollar lawsuit hangs over Urban Outfitters head

London - Teen retailer Urban Outfitters is no stranger to controversy, but its misuse of the name 'Navajo' may end up costing the apparel millions of dollars. The Navajo Nation, a tribe of Native Americans in Southwestern US, is seeking millions of dollars from Urban Outfitters for using its name to sell clothing and jewellery, amongst other...

Fashion

Louis Vuitton denied right to trademark Damier Checkerboard pattern

Louis Vuitton has been denied the right to monopolize the checkerboard pattern, following the ruling from the European Union General Court. The decision comes after the luxury label first registered a trademark for its brown Damier check pattern in 1998 and the subsequential trademark for the black version ten years later. However, the First...

Fashion

Converse sues 31 brands for copying iconic sneaker

Iconic sneaker company Converse brand is suing 31 brands, including Fila, Ed Hardy, Ralph Lauren, Skechers and Walmart for copyright infringement of selling copied versions of its infamous Chuck Taylor shoe. The shoe, easily recognisable for its rubber sole and canvas fabric, has seen many interpretations by other brands. Converse claims its...

Apparel

Victoria's Secret loses trademark legal case to Thomas Pink

British shirtmaker Thomas Pink has been named the victor of a legal case against US fashion label Victoria's Secret over the right to use the word 'pink.' Thomas Pink, owned by luxury conglomerate LVMH, filed an infringement case against Victoria's Secret last year, which accused the British branch of the lingerie label of confusing customers by...

Apparel

Chanel prevented from trademarking jersey

French luxury house Chanel attempted to trademark the word jersey - as in fabric - but the request was overturned when UK residents won a legal victory. Channel Island residents, home of Jersey, saw the UK intellectual property office refuse Chanel's request to trademark the name Jersey after objections from the island of Jersey's government....

Apparel

Nike sued for trademark infringement

Under Armour, a Baltimore-based athletic clothing manufacturer, has filed a lawsuit against Nike for the use of the “I will” phrase in its marketing. According to reports in the U.S. media, the group, founded in 1996 by former football player Kevin Plank, filed a trademark infringement suit against Nike. Under Armour argues that the “I will”...

Apparel

Gucci wins legal trademark dispute

Gucci has won a legal dispute concerning its trademark and use of its intellectual property rights. The Florentine fashion house saw a court grant an injunction prohibiting handbags and accessories company ToBeG, created by Guccio Gucci and his brother Alessandro, who are great-grandsons of the Gucci brand’s founder, to use the name “Gucci” and...

Apparel

Gucci wins claim again Guess

Gucci has been awarded 4.7 million dollars in damages against Guess. This is far less than the amount of over 221 million dollars that the Italian luxury firm had initially claimed. Gucci argued that Guess had infringed upon the Gucci trademark with its beige and brown Quatro G pattern and red-and-green stripe, accusing the US fashion label of...

Apparel

Louboutin not the only red sole shoe

Christian Louboutin is seeing red, and not just on the soles of his shoes. The designer was ruled against in an American controversy, where the eponymous shoe brand requested to stop the sales of red-soled shoes made by French rival Yves Saint Laurent. The judge said Louboutin wouldn't likely be able to prove that its own ever-present red soles...

Fashion

Hells Angels sue McQueen for trademark

Alexander McQueen is being sued for the use of a winged death motif by the Hells Angeles. The motorcycle group claims the British designer used its trademark death heads symbol on a knuckle-duster ring and women's handbag. A complaint was filed against McQueen on Monday by the Hells Angels Motorcycle Corporation (HAMC) stating the label has...