The Model Alliance is a “growing network of models and industry leaders dedicated to improving working conditions in the American fashion industry.” The Model Alliance works to give models in the industry a voice.
As with many fashion-obsessed souls, I have spent countless nights dedicated to the fashionable world created by Patricia Field in “Sex and the City.” Sarah Jessica Parker’s Carrie Bradshaw is whom I always identified with most. She’s a romantic who is passionate about her city and is openly addicted when it comes to her clothes and shoes.
For years, Polo Ralph Lauren and the U.S. Polo Association have been hooking mallets over the use of their polo player trademarks.
In 1984, the long battle between the U.S. Polo Association and Polo Ralph Lauren began. At the time, a Manhattan federal court granted the USPA permission to use the “double horseman” logo on their merchandise, as long as it would not cause consumer confusion. The USPA’s double jockey logo bears a marked resemblance to Ralph Lauren’s mounted polo player.
As WWD reported last month, two Yves Saint Laurent biopics are slated for production: “Saint Laurent”, directed by Bertrand Bonello, and “Yves Saint Laurent”. However, only “Yves Saint Laurent” has the backing of Pierre Bergé, YSL’s former partner. Bergé, who inherited and subsequently sold much of YSL’s estate, surely has a unique recollection and perspective of YSL through personal experience, knowledge of YSL’s personal history and access to YSL’s personal records.
Remember that time Lindsay Lohan had trouble with the law? Bet you’re thinking “which time?” Besides other stints with the law (she was sentenced to rehab on March 20, 2013 in order to avoid a six-month jail sentence), she recently filed a lawsuit against her clothing company, 6126. As sad as it is that she keeps having legal issues, it is nice to see Lindsay as a plaintiff, for a change.
It turns out that “too good to be true” deal you scored on a Tiffany & Co. engagement ring at your local Costco wholesale store last month actually was just that. Tiffany & Co. filed a lawsuit against Costco this past Valentine’s Day after being tipped off by a customer located in California last November 2012 who complained to the company that she was disappointed to see the luxury jeweler’s diamond rings for sale at the discount wholesaler. (brandchannel). The tip moved Tiffany to launch an investigation during which the jeweler discovered that Costco had been falsely identifying engagement rings for sale in its store as “Tiffany” on in-store advertising signs for years and that in-store salespersons also referred to the rings as “Tiffany rings” when speaking with customers. (Complaint). Interestingly, the wholesaler did not identify the rings as “Tiffany” on their online website where Tiffany & Co.’s trademark policing could have easily picked up on the false identification suggesting Costco wanted to “avoid detection of it’s unlawful activities”. (Complaint). <Read more>
The four-month legal saga between fashion mogul Tory Burch and her ex-husband Christopher Burch ended in early January with settlement talks. Although we will not get a chance to see this fashion-inspired “war of the roses” play out in court, there is certainly a legal lesson or two to be learned from this battle of the brands. <Read more>
The Navajo Nation has been battling Urban Outfitters since 2011 alleging that the apparel and furnishings merchant violated their trademark rights to the name “Navajo”. The controversy started when Urban Outfitters mass-produced more than 20 faux-native items called “Navajo” or “Navaho.” The Natives protested products like the “Hipster Navajo Panty” and the “Navajo Print Flask”.
In early January, Lululemon Athletica lost their appeal to the TTAB over the registration of the wave design shown below.
The TTAB, affirming the decision of the Examining Attorney, held that the wave design was merely an ornamental decoration and that the public would not perceive the applicant’s mark as an indicator of source. The TTAB stated that such a mark could only warrant trademark registration if the applicant could show the mark had inherent or acquired distinctiveness, or that the applicant has used or registered the design in a non-ornamental manner for other goods or services.
When one normally thinks of “counterfeits”, one traditionally thinks of handbags, jewelry, trading cards, and maybe even money. Over the last few years, that category has expanded to include not only sports memorabilia, but tickets to sporting events as well. For months leading up to the Super Bowl, special agents from ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and state and local police departments around the country worked in partnership with the NFL and other major sports leagues for their own battle against counterfeits called “Operation Red Zone.”
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