GUESS
Wins Critical Case Against Gucci in a French 3-Judge Panel Decision
The
latest chapter of the trademark challenge by Gucci against GUESS (NYSE: GES)
concluded in
France
on
January 30, 2015
with a complete victory for GUESS. In a comprehensive 44-page ruling, the
highly-respected
Court of Paris
rejected every claim asserted by Gucci, finding no trademark infringement,
no counterfeiting, and no unfair competition.
The
Court also completely denied Gucci’s request for €55 million in damages and,
instead, Gucci was ordered by the court to pay GUESS
30,000 Euros
.
Of
critical importance, the Court invalidated three of Gucci’s “G” community
and international trademarks, meaning Gucci cannot claim exclusive use to those
marks any longer.
The
Court of Paris’ decision builds upon substantial momentum GUESS has generated
in similar lawsuits where courts across the globe have rejected Gucci’s claims
that GUESS had infringed Gucci’s marks.
GUESS
Co-Founder and CEO
Paul Marciano
said, “For six years now, Gucci has filed case after case against GUESS
and lost time after time. On top of that, Gucci has lost some trademarks in the
Italian case and now some in
France
as well. I continue to believe strongly that all these legal battles are a
complete waste of time and this energy and money should be focused on business.
Obviously, FH Pinault doesn’t see it that way.”
Source: http://investors.guess.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=92506&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=2012695
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