Guess and Gucci have ramped up their ongoing dispute over their signature looks. The fashion houses are facing off in court after Gucci suggested Guess created, in the words of Gucci lawyer Louis Ederer, a “massive, complicated scheme to knock off Gucci’s best-known and iconic designs.”
Gucci particularly has issue with four key design elements. The interlocking G signature print and square G initial are obvious points of contention. But Gucci also points to the iconic red and green racing stripe and delicate cursive font also adopted by Guess.
Claims of copyright infringement are far from new suggestions. In fact, Gucci filed their lawsuit with the New York federal court way back in 2009. However for reasons that aren’t completely clear, it took until last Wednesday for the companies to appear before a judge.
And that time passed may prove to be Gucci’s undoing. While Guess claims it has no reason to emulate Gucci, it also questions why Gucci “sat on its rights” for at least seven years before launching legal action. Guess attorney Daniel Petrocelli admits that there are similarities between the brands’ design visions, but believes that customers would not mistake one label’s products for the others.
I’ve got to admit that I agree with Petrocelli on that point. Guess has always appeared like a budget alternative to Gucci thanks to its hardware heavy designs and use of synthetics rather than real leathers. But is that argument enough to win a copyright case? A verdict is expected in around three weeks. Which way do you think this case will go?
[Source: StyleList]
[Image Source: Makele 90/Wikipedia Commons]
