No More Gucci Knockoffs From Guess: Luxury Designer Wins $4.6 Million in Lawsuit

No more knockoffs for you, Guess-wearing Gucci aficionados: The battle of the designer G’s has come to an end that will mean some fans of the cheaper Guess goods won’t be able to buy certain products anymore. That’s because a judge ruled that Guess was infringing on some of Gucci’s trademark designs, and awarded Gucci just $4.6 million in the process as well.

Sure, $4.6 million is a nice lump of money, but perhaps not so much when you take into consideration that Gucci was seeking more than $120 million, reports Reuters.

Gucci had accused Guess of copying certain designs, and while a U.S. Judge said yes, there was some trademark infringement, Gucci will not get damages reflecting lost sales or harm to its brand, deeming analysis from a damages expert “highly speculative.”

However, Gucci did win a permanent injunction against Guess’ use of three of four challenged designs. Gucci claimed Guess was trying to “Gucci-ize” its line with wallets, belts, shoes and other items with designs mimicking Gucci, which then confused consumers and diluted its luxury brand.

The designs in question, if you’re wondering, included: green-red-green stripes, a stylized “Square G,” a group of four interlocking “G”s known as a “Quattro G,” and a script logo. The last one isn’t covered by the injunction.

Said the judge, “it is my hope that this ugliness will be limited to the runway and shopping floor, rather than spilling over into the courts.”

Gucci wins $4.66 mln, ban on Guess knock-offs [Reuters]

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