RIHANNA'S LAWSUIT AGAINST TOP SHOP

Photo from TopShop

A t-shirt with Rihanna's face sold, without her consent or authorization, at the fast fashion retailer Top Shop at the end of last year led to the lawsuit by the singer against the retailer. The suit will be officially addressed at Her Majesty’s High Court of Justice this summer, according to to WWD.

The unauthorized use of Rihanna's photo without her consent seems a straightforward argument for a case. According to WWD, Rihanna's representatives argue that the unauthorized use of her image suggests endorsement by association. However, in the U.K. there is no right of personality, which would mean that anyone who legally purchases an image can use it, unless it is a trademark. The decision of the High Court in the next months will tell which understading is correct and  if Rihanna wins, it would be a landmark decision for the British court.

THE COST OF FASHION

Labor conditions are always an issue when it comes to the manufacture of garments because usually when companies outsource their manufacturing to developing countries pays, safety and other work conditions are jeopardized.

After the recent incident with the garment factory in Bangladesh, CNN posted the following infographic about the difference in cost of manufacturing a shirt in the US and in Bangladesh.

FASHION LAW: A HOT TOPIC IN THE LEGAL WORLD

The International Trademark Association (INTA) has launched today, April 26 and World Intellectual Propety Day, the INTABlog.

Going throught the posts of the INTABlog you can't help but notice that Fashion Law is a very, very hot (and trendy) topic within IP.

Just recently in March, INTA sponsored the "D.C. Fashion Law Week", organized by Howard University School of Law in Washington, D.C. Among the many fashion law experts, there was Harley Lewin, of McCarter & English, LLP, lead counsel for Christian Louboutin in the famou red-sole case against YSL.

The INTABlog also quotes that "with the rapid expansion of the “Fashion Law” sector, the importance of protecting trademarks and other IP rights in the fashion industry has become a hot topic in the legal world".

And for those attending INTA's annual meeting this year in Dallas, don't miss these fashion law events:

• Going Big: How Luxury Brands Grow Big Without Diluting their Cachet (3:00 p.m. on Monday, May 6)
• Table Topic: Fashion Design: You Can Design It, But Can You Protect It? (1:15 p.m. on Monday, May 6)
• Table Topic: Navigating Through Nontraditional Trademarks and Industrial Design to Protect Fashion Designs (8:00 a.m. on Wednesday, May 8)

COACH WINS LANDMARK DECISION IN COUNTERFEIT CASE AGAINST CUSTOMS BROKERAGE FIRM

Photo from Coach.com

The case Coach Inc. et al v. Celco Customs Services Co. and Shen Huei Feng Wang, filed in Los Angeles, was the first time a customs brokerage company was charged for importing counterfeit Coach goods into the U.S.  As a result, Coach Inc. won an US$ 8 million jury award, reports WWD.

Customs brokerage firms are usually hired by importers to handle the paperwork required for the importation of goods. In this case, Coach was able to determine that the defendants created and filed fraudulent customs entry documents to allow the counterfeit product to be shipped to the U.S.

According to WWD, the case is the most recent victory in Coach’s anticounterfeiting litigation campaign “Operation Turnlock.” So far the accessories firm has filed over 650 lawsuits and has received millions in judgments and settlements. Coach began the initiative in May 2009.

MORE FROM NO FAKES! BY ALEXSANDRO PALOMBO

This time, it is Moschino's turn: 

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