Ivanka Trump steps into Aquazzura IP fray

Ivanka Trump, daughter of US presidential candidate Donald Trump, has denied trade dress infringement accusations brought against her by luxury footwear brand Aquazzura.

Trump was sued in a complaint filed at the US District Court for the Southern District of New York in June.

Italy-based Aquazzura claimed trade dress infringement, unfair competition and deceptive trade practices had arisen from the copying of its shoes.

But in a response filed at the court on August 19, Trump denied accusations that she has “engaged in any acts of infringement of plaintiff’s purported trade dress, unfair competition or deceptive trade practices”.

Trump and her company IT Collection partnered with co-defendants Marc Fisher and MB Fisher in 2010 to launch a footwear brand.

The companies are alleged to have copied the design of Aquazzura’s ‘Wild Thing’ shoe and marketed it as ‘the Hettie’.

The design, the lawsuit said, copied nearly every detail of the shoe “in a blatant attempt to trade off the renown”.

Aquazzura also claimed that this wasn’t the first time the defendants have copied designs and that the company had previously complained about its ‘Belgravia’ and ‘Forever Marilyn’ line of shoes being copied.

Joel Smith, IP partner at Herbert Smith Freehills, said: "There is a continuing trend of complaints by luxury brands, particularly in the premium shoe and handbag segments, to police, about what they regard as, dilution by look-a-like products cashing in upon their prestige designs and reputation.

"For instance, we have seen other trademark complaints by Louboutin both in the US and Europe over its distinctive red sole."