4 Nasty Trademark Infringement Cases

Infringement cases can be burdensome, drawn out, and a huge drain for all parties involved. Just ask experts like Myers Law Group, trademark attorney in Orange County, and you’ll likely hear all manner of stories about how terrible trademark infringement cases can be. To further illustrate the point, we’re going to cover a few examples from recent history that show the crazier side of infringement.

Louis Vuitton v. Louis Vuiton Dak

What do luxurious handbags and delicious fried chicken have to do with one another? Not much, but the two did have to square off in court after the legendary luxury brand accused the South Korean food restaurant of ripping off not only their name but also their mark — which upon first glance does look quite similar.

While you might consider the similarities a bit of good-natured humor, they ended up costing the chicken restaurant big. Louis Vuiton Dak ended up having to shell out about 14.5 million and changing the name of the establishment.

3M v. 3N

Seeing those two names side-by-side and you may be tempted to think it all some sick joke. Unfortunately no, as in China, Huawei tried to rip off one of the most recognizable brands on the planet with almost no perceptible effort to differentiate at all. Even though there were some differences in products and pricing, the similarity in the name and logo were just too great to ignore.

In the end, Huawei had to stop selling goods under the 3N name, had to pay legal costs for 3M, and had to pay “significant damages” for the harm that they brought upon 3M’s trademark, even after trying to appeal the initial decision.

The Academy Awards v. GoDaddy

What possible reason could the Academy Awards have to go after the web domain guys at GoDaddy? Over a decade ago, they accused GoDaddy of allowing others to profit off of their name by registering domains that were suspiciously similar and might confuse the average person into thinking they were affiliated with the real Academy Awards — they even had proof of the domains that were sold.

In the end, though, a judge decided GoDaddy wasn’t responsible and had no bad faith intentions on their end. It was a lengthy battle (one which drew on for years) and cost the Academy quite the pretty penny in the end.

Adidas v. Forever 21

The Adidas “three stripes” design is as iconic as they come, so when they accused Forever 21 of infringing on this design, most knew a big dust up was in the works. The two went back and forth, and currently, the case is on hold while Forever 21 concludes its own bankruptcy proceedings.