Gucci wins trademark case against Guccio Gucci

What's in a name? A lot of legal bother if it happens to be Gucci.

The Gucci logo. The double interlocking G's do not stand for Guccio Gucci... Photo: REX

We love it when a family finds a name they like and sticks to it, like George Foreman who named his five sons George (George Jr., George III, George IV, George V and George VI), and Jermaine Jackson who named three of his eight offspring Jermaine, Jaimy, and Jermajesty.

Sadly, however, such family pride doesn't always lead to happy endings.

Yesterday in Florence, a judge ruled against Guccio Gucci and his brother Alessandro Gucci, the great-grandsons of Gucci founder, Guccio Gucci in an intellectual property case brought by the Gucci Group.

WWD report that Guccio and Alessandro's handbag and accessories firm ToBeG Srl has been found guilty of infringement of Gucci's trademarks "illegitimately" using the names "Gucci" and "Guccio Gucci" for its marketing communications and website activities.

The judge ruled that the use of the name 'Guccio Gucci' "determined an unfair association" between ToBeG's products and Gucci's trademarks, and said that its behaviour "constitutes an act of unfair competition to Gucci's detriment because the advertising materials of the defendant caused confusion with Gucci's products and business activities and took unfair advantage of the qualities and reputation of Gucci's products".

You have read this article Alessandro Gucci / celebrity designer / court case / fashion / fashion legal / gossip / gucci / Guccio Gucci with the title court case. You can bookmark this page URL http://lianabazar.blogspot.com/2012/07/gucci-wins-trademark-case-against.html. Thanks!

Christian Louboutin unsuccessful battles

Christian Louboutin have released a statement clarifying that they still own "valid and enforcable trademark rights" to the red sole, despite recent unsuccessful court battles.

Christian Louboutin would like to make it very clear that despite recent unsuccessful court battles suggesting otherwise, they still very much own the trademark to their Pantone-18 'Chinese Red' soles.

In a statement released by Louboutin yesterday, the company stated: "Recent commentary in various articles from newspapers and blogs regarding the French court decision in the Zara case...either implies or states that through this ruling we have lost our rights to our world-famous red-sole trademark. We would like to clarify that what has been disputed and canceled is only one French registration of the trademark." Adding that they "continue to own valid and enforceable trademark rights...throughout the world" and "will continue to protect and enforce [the trademark's] rights."

The clarification comes a week after Louboutin unsuccessfully attempted to sue high-street chain Zara for selling a red-soled shoe similar to their 'Yo Yo' style. A French court ruled that "there was no proven risk of confusion between Louboutin's shoes and the Zara pair", and ordered Louboutin to pay Zara £2,016. It was the climax of a case which had rumbled on for a year.

Meanwhile, Louboutin are still ploughing ahead with their battle to stop Yves Saint Laurent from selling red-soled shoes - which first appeared in YSL's Resort 2011 collection. The Manhattan court of Appeal's decision on whether or not to grant a preliminary injunction against YSL is expected this summer.

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Dolce and Gabbana in Trouble!!

The Italian design duo will face trial over alledged tax evasion offences totalling 1 billion euros, despite their previous acquittal last year.

Italian fashion designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, who count model Naomi Campbell and pop star Madonna among their friends, will stand trial over alleged tax evasion, according to legal sources and a court filing seen by Reuters.

Milan judge Giuseppe Gennari gave the green light for prosecutors to bring the fashion duo to court over allegations of tax evasion offences totalling around 1 billion euros (£808,000,000).

The decision in the long-running case came after a higher court overturned a previous acquittal of the two glamorous designers, who have denied any wrongdoing.

"Everyone knows that we haven't done anything," Gabbana said in a tweet on Friday.

Milan prosecutors allege the fashion duo had sold their D&G and Dolce & Gabbana brands to a holding company they set up in Luxembourg in 2004 in order to avoid paying high taxes in Italy. The investigations started in 2007.

The designers had been cleared from accusations by a previous court last year, to the joy of numerous fans who cheered the news on the Internet.

But prosecutors appealed against the decision and a high court overturned the ruling in November asking for a new judge to decide whether to send the pair to trial for unpaid taxes.

A court filing seen by Reuters confirmed the decision reported by the sources.

The case is poised to be one of the few tax disputes involving celebrities to go to court in Italy, where out-of-court settlements are preferred in order to cut on long proceedings and avoid possibly harsher punishments.

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