US. Louis Vuitton Malletier has settled a case over intellectual property rights with Sony BMG Music Entertainment. Under the terms of the settlement, Sony BMG has agreed to refrain from future activity involving Louis Vuitton’s intellectual property.
The agreement resolves all claims by Louis Vuitton against Sony BMG regarding the unauthorised use of Louis Vuitton’s trademarks and copyrights. These include the famous Toile Monogram and Multicolore trademarks, as used by Sony BMG labels concerning the artists Da Brat, Britney Spears, and Ruben Studdard.
Over the past five years, Louis Vuitton had filed lawsuits in the District Court of Paris seeking injunctive relief and damages from the sale of DVDs, video clips and CDs bearing Louis Vuitton intellectual property by Da Brat and a clip video on CDs by Britney Spears. Louis Vuitton received favourable judgments in each case, totaling €154,000.
Following these cases was the allegation that Sony BMG had distributed, offered for sale and sold certain CDs of Ruben Studdard’s album, “The Return,” bearing unauthorised reproductions of Louis Vuitton’s intellectual property.
Louis Vuitton Intellectual Property Director Nathalie Moulle-Berteaux said: “We are very pleased to have successfully resolved these matters in a manner that protects our brand and our customers. We believe the terms of this agreement will provide strong protection to our brand worldwide, and we are gratified that Sony BMG has agreed to educate its record labels about our trademarks and copyrights in order to prevent the misuse of our intellectual property in the future.”
Under the terms of the agreement, Sony BMG has agreed, among other things, to:
• Make a settlement payment to Louis Vuitton for the Ruben Studdard CD, the amount of which will not be disclosed, and the amount of €97,000 outstanding from the Da Brat and Britney Spears judgments in France
• Cease the importation, distribution, offer for sale, shipment and/or manufacture of, or otherwise trafficking in the Ruben Studdard “The Return” CD, or any other products bearing the Louis Vuitton intellectual property or any counterfeits or infringements thereof
• Acknowledge the validity of the Louis Vuitton intellectual property
• Use its best efforts to “educate” its various record labels such that when developing products, they will be in a position to refrain from developing and selling products bearing the Louis Vuitton intellectual property.
About Louis Vuitton Malletier
Louis Vuitton is said to be synonymous with the art of stylish travel since 1854. Since 1997, with the arrival of the designer Marc Jacobs, it has extended its expertise to women’s and men’s ready-to-wear, shoes, watches and jewelry. Since 1987, it has been part of LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, the world’s leading luxury goods group.
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