Battle of the Gs: Gucci goes up against Guess? in Court

After a long-standing dispute over trademarks, Gucci and Guess, Inc. had their day in federal court last week. The dispute arose over Guess's use of various design elements protected under Gucci's trademark, including a blocked letter "G" pattern, and its red and green striped design. Gucci is claiming 221 million dollars in damages.

 

This Wednesday, the CEO of Guess, Inc., Paul Maurciano, testified before the court to defend the brand. Maurciano insisted that Guess took inspiration from various designers for the blocked G pattern appearing on handbags and footwear. According to Maurciano, "this kind of pattern is common in the world of fashion and it’s not particular to Gucci."

After Gucci's counsel showed Maurciano a series of email correspondence between Guess buyers and their manufacturers referencing Gucci's products, Maurciano claimed he had no knowledge of such emails. However, Gucci's counsel insists that Guess has had a "scheme" to knock off Gucci "for years." Gucci's counsel will continue the questioning today, and TFG will be sure to follow up with another post.