Model wearing a gown by Dior, 1954. Photo by Henry Clarke.
Chanel Sues 399 Websites for Trademark Infringement!
The House of Chanel filed an internet trademark infringement lawsuit against 399 websites in the US District Court of Nevada (in Las Vegas) on September 20, 2011. In the civil suit, the fashion house claims that these sites violated Chanel’s trademark (their exclusive rights to the use of the Chanel name, images, and any licensees) and also alleges that the sites openly sell counterfeit Chanel-branded goods such as handbags, jewelry, shoes, wallets, and other goods.
Chanel is suing the listed websites for unspecified damages and is currently pursuing an injunction to hault the sale of these items while the case is pending in court. According to the suit, the French haute couturier is going after these sites whose operators are actually based overseas in the Bahamas, China, and other locales.
We look forward to following the developments of this story since you can easily Google almost any luxury designer and find fradulent sites dedicated to selling counterfeit items. It’s a wide-spread problem that spans various international jurisdictions.
