School Assignment
{ Week #1 - for Current Designers }
by Michelle Tay
Source: WWD - Footwear News Friday April 8, 2011
Summary: Christian Louboutin SA is suing the French fashion label for trademark
infringement - "LV is alleging that YSL america Inc. is selling shoes with red soles
that are "virtually identical" to its signature styles, thereby violating
its trademark for the footwear."
Attorneys believe that the litigation between the two parties could potentially
go on for a long time, due to the fact that both have large and skilled law firms
working for them.. they wouldn't be surprised to see this case settled outside of court.
The shoes that drew the attention was the YSL Palais pump.
It has a colored suede upper and colored soles in the identical shade.
There are 4 other colors offered: Green, Purple, Tan, and Black
"Both companies sell their shoes side by side in high-end fashion stores,
including Saks Fifth Avenue, Barneys New York and Bergdorf Goodman,
and Louboutin's complaint stated that the "defendants' use of a red sole on their
infringing footwear threatens to mislead the public, and has impaired
plaintiffs' ability to control their reputation."
Fact: Louboutin was awarded a registered trademark for its red sole
by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in 2008.
Louboutin is seeking $1 million in damages, as well as a court injunction
against YSL's sale of its shoes.
It will be interesting to see who wins
and how this will play out..
i was super surprised to hear ysl used the red sole too. i mean they're such an established brand, they don't need to copy someone else.
ReplyDeletevery interesting! glad CL is going after them because the red sold is their signature mark. xx
ReplyDeleteI heard about this... it's kind of craziness. I didn't realize they had a trademark, which makes it even crazier that they could trademark a red sole.
ReplyDeleteInteresting.
Love,
http://www.thewrittenrunway.com
deff think louboutin will win
ReplyDelete