Thursday 6 December 2012

A landmark award and decisive triumph for Louis Vuitton

By Andy Grove


Louis Vuitton, part of LVMH, the worlds leading luxury team, announced the Federal Court docket of Canada has awarded the biggest at any time judgment within a trademark counterfeiting and copyright situation in Canada, with $1.4 million for Louis Vuitton and $1.1 million because of its co-plaintiffs Burberry Limited and Burberry Canada Inc., for any total judgment of CAD $2.5 million.

Louis Vuitton and Burberry had brought an motion previous yr towards Singga Enterprises (Canada) Inc., and Carnation Style Business, both based in Burnaby, B.C., Altec Productions, located in Markham, Ontario, and their respective owners and operators, main importers, distributors and on line sellers. These companies had been selling, because as earlier as January 2008, counterfeit and infringing style equipment, particularly handbags, bearing Louis Vuitton trade-marks and copyrights and Burberry trade-marks.

The declaration of claim asserted and also the Court located that the defendants were involved in large-scale, sophisticated manufacturing operations in China and had been importing huge amounts of counterfeit goods into Canada using the intent of selling them nationwide in shops, at present exhibits, and on line. The Court docket awarded substantial compensatory damages for your "recidivist counterfeiting activities" on the for every infringement foundation. Finding the problem "egregious," the Courtroom also granted the very best punitive damages award of its kind in a counterfeiting situation in Canada.

This award mirrored the defendants' understanding, prepared and deliberate actions, their attempts at concealing the counterfeiting routines, as well as their continued importation and distribution from the counterfeit goods (although a recently formed site) following both the graduation of the proceeding and also the plaintiffs' software for summary trial. Valerie Sonnier, Worldwide Intellectual Home Director for Louis Vuitton mentioned, this is actually a landmark award and decisive triumph for Louis Vuitton. We are happy the Federal Courtroom in Canada acknowledges the importance of defending intellectual property, and awarding substantial compensatory damages in addition to total punitive and exemplary damages as a robust punishment and a similarly powerful deterrent towards counterfeiting and infringing exercise. This choice also serves to highlight the necessity to make trade-mark counterfeiting a criminal offense in Canada and grant Customs in Canada a lot necessary ex officio authority to seize counterfeit goods on the border. We hope this decision will send a concept to counterfeiters the entire world more than that Louis Vuitton will aggressively put into action its zero tolerance coverage towards counterfeiting.

Launched in Paris in 1854, Louis Vuitton is synonymous with all the artwork of vacation. Its legendary trunks, luggage, and bags have accompanied journeys all through time. Using the arrival of Creative Director Marc Jacobs in 1997, Louis Vuitton prolonged its expertise to ready-to-wear, footwear, add-ons, watches and jewelry, obtainable in its unique network of retailers positioned all over the planet. The South London Gallery, the Hayward Gallery, the Royal Academy of Arts, Tate Britain as well as the Whitechapel Gallery start REcreative. REcreative is devised by youthful folks as component from the Louis Vuitton Young Arts Venture. The Louis Vuitton Young Arts Project has received the inaugural Jumeirah Team Arts and Culture Award on the 15th Yearly Luxury Briefing Awards. The award recognizes top international enterprises actively supporting artists and advancing artistic practice via innovative inventive collaborations within the company world. The Young Arts Project was awarded for providing youthful folks with the chance to immerse on their own within the principles and concepts from the modern art globe.




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