Gucci and Guess have been tussling over trademarks for years, but the Italian fashion house took a hit from its American counterpart on its own turf last week.

The Court of Milan turned out an 83-page ruling that “rejected all claims” that Gucci had filed against Guess, according to a press release. Not only that, “the Italian Court has ordered the cancellation of certain of Gucci’s diamond pattern, G logo, and ‘Flora’ pattern trademarks” along with its “rights in a ‘Square G’ logo.” 

This is a big blow to Gucci, which had received “minimal monetary damages and narrow injunctions on a handful of logos” in a similar case against Guess in New York that was decided last year. That “minimal” amount added up to $4.66 million, though Gucci had hoped to make a $120 million payday. This time, Guess scored a victory that allows it to use its famed Quattro G logo pattern without worry of infringing on any trademarks.Continue reading...

Note: This is an update of a story that was originally published on July 27th —

The Gucci family likely doesn't relish any unpleasantries airing out in the open, but two great-grandsons of the company’s namesake founder who are also in the fashion business ended up in an Italian court of law as a result of an intellectual property case brought by the Gucci Group. An interim legal ruling in that case follows a different case involving Gucci, which scored a recent victory against the would-be interlocking G's of Italian rival Guess.

The back story to the case involving Guccio Gucci's great-grandsons: the brothers, Guccio and Alessandro Gucci, own and operate a handbag (that's an example above) and accessories brand called ToBeG. In the words of London's Daily Telegraph, a court in Florence ruled on July 12th that ToBeG was “guilty of infringement of Gucci’s trademarks” and so cannot use the name "Gucci" or "Guccio Gucci" for "marketing communications or website activities."

Roberto Calabresi of SLCG, the legal firm representing ToBeG in the case, provided this statement to brandchannel clarifying that interim legal order:Continue reading...

Guess was ordered by a federal judge Monday to fork over $4.66 million to Gucci for copying the Italian luxury brand's iconic interlinked G's logo on four designs, but the folks at Gucci would have liked more cash than that.

They’ll have to make do with what they got because U.S. District Judge Shira Scheindlin told Guess that it didn’t have to pay Gucci any more than that for “damages reflecting lost sales or harm to its brand,” Reuters reports, although Guess was also banned from making any Gucci knock-offs.

The suit had Gucci criticizing Guess for “trying to ‘Gucci-ize’ its product line by selling wallets, belts, shoes and other items whose designs copied or mimicked its own.”

New York magazine reports that Gucci had wanted more than $120 million in restitution, “which suggests they might try to pursue the case further.”

Gucci hadn’t released any comment early Monday afternoon, New York notes, but Guess CEO Paul Marciano did release a comment “that he wished the case could have been resolved between the two companies instead of in court.”Continue reading...

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General Mills announces layoffs.

Google seals acquisition of Motorola Mobility.Continue reading...

Guess is celebrating its 30th anniversary this month with the return of Claudia Schiffer in a new campaign (at right). But there's one front on which the brand's iconic model can't help out.

The American denim giant, started by the French-born Marciano brothers (Paul and Maurice, now co-chairmen and -CEOs) in 1982, is tangling in court with a sexy Italian: Gucci.

The brands are squaring off in a battle that’s been raging between them for years. The way Gucci lawyer Louis Ederer sees it, Guess is working a “massive, complicated scheme to knock off Gucci’s best-known and iconic designs," according to Bloomberg. Guess, as you might guess, begs to differ.

The claim is that Guess has infringed on four Gucci trademarks, the Huffington Post notes: “the green and red stripe; the interlocking "G" pattern; the square ‘G’ and the brand name's delicate script font.” And this infringement didn’t just occur on one or two products, the suit claims. It was on, Gucci claims, $221 million worth of products.Continue reading...

You like fruit juice? You like chips? You are in luck. Jamba Inc. and Bare Fruit LLC, which sources its apples from the Pacific Northwest, are joining forces for a new line of Jamba-branded dried-fruit chips, according to the Associated Press. The licensing deal will result in "all natural" chip flavors that will include mango, Fuji apple, and Granny Smith apple, which should be in stores by the new year. The company, which has 746 Jamba Juice stores in the U.S. and six outside, “has been trying to grow by licensing its brand for consumer products,” AP notes.

"Our focus continues to be on developing differentiated Jamba-branded products that make it convenient and easy for health-conscious consumers to lead healthier and more active lives,” stated Julie Washington, senior vice president and general manager, Consumer Products, Jamba Juice Company. “This latest offering, created with Bare Fruit, leverages our collective expertise in fruit to create a line of wholesome snacks that are lower in calories, higher in fiber and naturally sweet.”

Jamba Juice was also just named as one of the latest round of retail partners for the Google Wallet "tap and pay" platform.Continue reading...

A branding battle over the letter "G" has turned into a theater of the absurd. About a year ago, luxury brand Gucci sued wannabe high fashion brand Guess, accusing the latter of trademark infringement.

Gucci claimed Guess' use of an interlocking "G" pattern was "part of a sophisticated and elaborate scheme to target Gucci, to create products that are similar in appearance to the most popular and best-known Gucci products."

Gee, that's a heavy accusation. The lawsuit was not without a sense of humor though, with the French-owned Italian brand accusing Guess of an attempt to "Gucci-ize" itself.

To save its brand the indignity of being declared a purveyor of knock-offs, Guess of course fought the charges. Now, almost 12 months later, the lawsuit has turned into a soap opera, with Gucci firing its lead lawyer... for not being a lawyer.Continue reading...

Zappos.com, the formidable online brand recently acquired by Amazon, is moving into the print magazine category.

That’s right: print.

The e-shop plans to mail 750,000 copies of its printed catalog named “Zappos Life” directly to consumers, and the publication is scheduled to arrive in time for the holiday shopping blitz.

The catalog will have a fashion and design focus, highlighting products such as handbags, jewelry, clothing, and fragrances in addition to Zappos’ most notable product: footwear. Among the featured brands are Cole Haan, Guess, Calvin Klein, Lucky, Stila, True Religion, and Stuart Weitzman.

But why the move to print?Continue reading...