Lord & Taylor lawsuit overview:
- Who: Gucci filed a lawsuit against online retailer Lord & Taylor.
- Why: Lord & Taylor allegedly sells counterfeit handbags bearing Gucci’s logo without its permission.
- Where: The Gucci lawsuit was filed in New York federal court.
Online retailer Lord & Taylor sells counterfeit handbags with the Gucci logo without Gucci’s permission, the luxury brand alleges in a lawsuit filed Nov. 21 in New York federal court.
The Gucci brand was founded in 1921 in Florence, Italy, and is one of the most valuable global brands, Gucci says in the counterfeit handbags lawsuit.
Gucci says it holds its products to very high standards and subjects them to exacting quality control standards. As a result, consumers expect products bearing Gucci marks to be of the highest workmanship and quality, according to the Gucci lawsuit.
Lord & Taylor is an online retailer that sells apparel, shoes, handbags and other products through its website. Gucci says Lord & Taylor sold counterfeit handbags that bore the Gucci marks without Gucci’s authorization.
Gucci says that its agents purchased several handbags from Lord & Taylor that bore the Gucci marks and imitated the “distinctive design of genuine Gucci products” but were not authentic Gucci products.
Gucci says it notified Lord & Taylor about the counterfeit handbags in June, to which Lord & Taylor’s counsel allegedly admitted they were aware that the company sold counterfeit products but failed to respond further to Gucci’s communications.
Lord & Taylor counterfeit handbags cause ‘irreparable damage’ to business, Gucci says
The Lord & Taylor lawsuit says the counterfeit handbags directly compete with Gucci’s products. If Lord & Taylor is allowed to continue selling Gucci counterfeit handbags, Gucci says it will continue to cause irreparable damage to its business.
“Defendants’ sale of the counterfeit products unlawfully wrests from Gucci control over its reputation and, upon information and belief, is unjustly enriching defendants,” the Gucci lawsuit alleges.
The Lord & Taylor lawsuit asserts claims for trademark counterfeiting, infringement of registered trademarks, unfair competition, trademark dilution and false designation.
In 2021, Saks and Lord & Taylor customers urged a judge to approve a $2 million class action settlement over allegations they failed to adequately safeguard customer data, leaving it vulnerable to a data breach that may have affected more than 5 million credit and debit card accounts.
What do you think about the Gucci lawsuit allegations that Lord & Taylor sells counterfeit handbags? Tell us your thoughts in the comments.
Gucci is represented by John P. Margiotta and Parker C. Eudy of Fross Zelnick Lehrman & Zissu PC.
The Lord & Taylor counterfeit handbags lawsuit is Gucci America Inc. v. Lord & Taylor Ecomm LLC, Case No. 1:23-cv-10239, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
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