5 Infamous Luxury Brand Trademarks You Should Know

A brands intellectual property is it’s biggest asset, making it distinctive and unique. The value of a luxury brand lies in it’s exclusivity. Registering trademarks is a way of escaping counterfeiters and the sale of imitation goods.

A trademark gives you claim over your product. As Global law firm Baker & McKenzie puts it, “Who would innovate or create if the invention could be quickly copied or re-used without repercussions?”

Here are 5 luxury brand trademarks which although lesser known, give the brands the prestige and status they rightfully deserve.

Christian Louboutin – The Color of Passion

When Cinderella said “all it took was a really great pair of shoes,” wasn’t she referring to Louboutin’s sky-high stilettos with the red soles?

Two decades ago what started as his assistant’s red nail varnish on the soles of his shoes is now trademarked and synonymous with Christian Louboutin. A Benelux trademark was granted to the brand in 2010 for ‘the color red applied to the sole of a shoe’ which was altered in 2013 to only the soles on high heeled shoes.’

Today, Louboutins line runways and red carpets and no one questions their elegance, sass or originality. The same was not true a few years ago when French fashion house Yves Saint Laurent questioned whether the concept of the red soles was truly a stroke of genius or a careful counterfeit of King Louis XVI’s red heeled dancing shoes or even Dorothy’s red ruby slippers from the “Wizard of Oz.” Contention with YSL continued when four shoes from YSL’s Cruise 2011 collection with bright red outsoles bore resemblance to the Louboutin’s trademarked ones. A trademark infringement suit was filed by Louboutin after which continued an 18 month long legal battle which ended with the Red Sole Mark being upheld as valid and Louboutin securing it’s place as it’s the bona fide creator.

Years of litigation ensued between Louboutin and Van Haren, a Dutch footwear company when the latter sold shoes resembling the iconic heels with red soles. Louboutin filed for patent infringement and on 12^th June, 2018 the Court of Justice of the European Union upheld the red sole trademark as valid.

Christian Dior – Dress Your Fragrance

Christian Dior envisioned a contemporary woman, a businesswoman, performing her own as well as a man’s work. The vision was one of fragility and yet of serenity which was exemplified by the New Look collection. In 1999, this value was carried forward with “Dior J’adore.” The teardrop shaped bottle of the quintessential fragrance was designed by artist Hervé Van Der Straeten. Taking inspiration from the necklaces of the Masai tribe, the stacked gold neck of the bottle intertwines extravagance with class.

This iconic perfume bottle is trademarked with the World Intellectual Property Organisation and the US Patent and Trademark Office.

The Dior Case, now accepted as precedential, arose when China refused to acknowledge the trademark on the grounds that the bottle’s design did not meet “the standards of a trademark.” Dior argued that, owing to it’s popularity, consumers upon seeing the bottle immediately recognized it as one of the French beauty brand’s. The Supreme Court ultimately ruled in favor of Dior in a landmark verdict. Dior is certainly one of the most revered luxury fashion brands in the world today.

Burberry – Intertwined

Burberry is more than just couture, it’s an attitude, a statement. To me, checks are Burberry, Red, White, Camel and Black are Burberry. And I believe it’s so for the rest of the world, too.

Formally too, the iconic brand has registered trademarks for the checks of all these distinct colors as well as different combinations of these colors since 1921. It all began with a lined trench coat, which till date is Burberry’s most prized fabrications.

The ‘90s logomania prompted the plaid design to be used on the whole nine yards. A classical illustration of this was soap opera actress Daniella Westbrook covered in plaid from head to toe. Former president and chief creative officer Christopher Bailey brought the brand back to it’s luxury status by severely reducing the usage of the design after it lost it’s position owing to a perception that it had become hackneyed.

It would infuriate any lover of couture to see replication of these archetypal as it did Burberry. A cease-and-desist was sent to American retailer Target when they sold fashion scarves, water bottles and luggage among other items with a checkered pattern which closely mimicked the original Burberry one.

It’s not arduous to understand why the desire to duplicate the adored checks would transpire given the status they have achieved. This proclivity has urged Burberry to file countless patent infringement suits in order to protect it’s design which dates back to the 1920’s.

Tiffany & Co. – Color Goes to Court

When Holly Golightly said “I’m just crazy about Tiffany’s,” didn’t we all slightly nod along?

Every little blue box holds happiness which knows no bounds in the form of the most exquisite pieces of fine jewellery. The shade of light blue is trademarked and fiercely protected by Tiffany.

The ability of consumers across the globe to link the robin’s egg blue color with a single source means that the blue hue transcends the traditional, decorative function of color, and puts Tiffany & Co. in the “rare and enviable position [in which] consumers recognize the brand simply by seeing the color – even without any other brand identity,” said Andrea Davey, the senior vice president of global marketing at Tiffany.

Tiffany’s was originally opened in 1837 by Charles Lewis Tiffany and John B. Young as Tiffany & Young stationery. The color blue was actually the color of the cover of the new-iconic Blue Book. Since then, the blue color varied until 1966 until a shade close to the final was reached.

In 1998, Tiffany & Co. finally trademarked its color and packaging. Three years later, the brand partnered with Pantone to solidify its hue: “1837 Blue,” commemorating its founding year. “Tiffany has turned [its] distinctive shade into an international icon of elegance and sophistication,” Laurie Pressman, vice president of Pantone Color Institute, has said. “From the moment you set your eyes upon Tiffany’s cool and fresh aquatic blue shade, a color that speaks to vibrancy and escape, you are immediately transported into a world filled with luxury and delight.”

I’d say, Tiffany is blue and blue is Tiffany.

Goyard – The Name of Luxury

The genesis of the world’s oldest luxury fashion house, about 160 years ago was quite mysterious. It is a brand built on prestige and has created a legacy.

Sans advertising and marketing, it has carved a niche for itself, solely on account of it’s widely adored Chevron pattern.

The Chevron pattern on Goyard luggage holds an interesting meaning. Initially, Edmond Goyard carved his name into the canvas. The piled up dot pattern is said to stand for Y: the central letter of the family name, the inspiration for which came from the family history. Three chevrons creating the Y are used to create the signature on Goyard pieces.

The name Goyard is written as a principal element in the work, and the design also includes “Paris,” repeated twice in different shades of brown.

The trademark geometric design is carefully painted by hand, adding greatly to it’s value.

An altercation did arise with record producer DJ Khaled when he wore a jacket with the signature Goyardine print to the VMA’s.  Here’s the catch. Barring a few exceptional collaborations, Goyard actually doesn’t make jackets and prides itself in being a luggage maker. The brand, defending it’s intellectual property confirmed that jacket was not an official Goyard product. However, it was trending after the show and many fans desperately tried to search for it, only to come up unsuccessful.

All this goes to show is that there is a mystique to Goyard and rightfully so.

Now that we think of it, aren’t these trademarks the secret ingredients that make the brand? They’re the face of the masterful craftsmanship and expertise. The luxury is in the details.