By Don Southerton, Editor Korealegal.org
Recently the luxury fashion firm Louis Vuitton filed a trademark infringement suit against Hyundai Motor (see below). As the news broke it caught my attention on several levels. For one this Blog looks at U.S. Korea legal issues. IP is a common theme. Moreover, Lux and the Korean car market are common themes of our sister website–Bridging Culture Worldwide Blog.
Trademark infringement can be a sensitive issue. I understand Vuitton has a brand and image to uphold. That said, they might be getting this one wrong—Hyundai had been driving toward Luxury. The Genesis model has won a number accolades. In fact, the Lux brand Prada and Hyundai did strong co-branding last year in Korea—with a Genesis Prada model. More significant, Hyundai will soon launch in the U.S. market its luxury model the Equus.
Hyundai is sued over Super Bowl ‘Luxury’ ad
LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SA , the world’s largest luxury-goods manufacturer, sued Hyundai Motor Co. accusing the car company of trademark infringement in a Super Bowl ad. The complaint was filed in Manhattan federal court. LVMH, based in Paris, is seeking unspecified damages and an order barring Seoul-based Hyundai, South Korea’s largest automaker, from diluting its trademark.
The suit is over a commercial Hyundai broadcast on Feb. 7 to a record 106 million people watching the football game. In a commercial entitled “Luxury” Hyundai featured a group of men playing basketball with a dark brown ball covered in a pattern of initials that resembled Louis Vuitton’s trademark, according to the complaint. Hyundai’s conduct is likely to both dilute the distinctiveness and tarnish the reputation of the LVM marks, according to the trademark dilution complaint.
Detroit News
Tags: Bridging Culture Worldwide Blog, Hyundai Motor, Hyundai Prada, IP Korea, Korealegal.org, Louis Vuitton, Prada