Gucci loses trademark lawsuit to Japanese firm known for parodying logos

  • Japan’s patent office ruled against Italian fashion giant Gucci’s complaint that Parodys’ obscuring of the name ‘CUGGL’ on clothing would confuse consumers
  • Despite winning the case for Parodys, patent lawyer Masaki Mikami says that the law should be stricter

 

The South China Morning Post reports

Italian fashion giant Gucci has lost a trademark lawsuit to a Japanese T-shirt manufacturer that has a track record of mimicking internationally renowned logos.

This is despite the specialist patent lawyer who won the case on behalf of Osaka-based clothing firm Parodys admitting he feels the present law needs work.

In July 2021, Gucci filed an opposition motion against Parodys, owned by one Nobuaki Kurokawa, after noting that he had trademarked the name “CUGGL” in October 2020. The trademark permitted Kurosawa to apply the name to clothing, belts, footwear and athletic clothing.

The letters CUGGL appeared in a similar font as those used in Florence-based Gucci’s logo and with similar spacing. However, Kurosawa’s firm used them with a thick, coloured stripe obscuring the bottom half of each letter.

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https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3192586/gucci-loses-trademark-lawsuit-japanese-firm-known