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2 October 2017Trademarks

Levi Strauss sues company over ‘tabs’ on back pocket of trousers

Clothing brand Levi Strauss has sued a Connecticut-based company for trademark infringement relating to “tabs” attached to the back pocket of trousers.

The case was filed at the US District Court for the Northern District of California on Friday, September 30.

Vineyard Vines was accused of selling “substantial quantities of jeans bearing pocket tab devices that are highly similar” to Levi Strauss’s trademarks.

Levi Strauss is the owner of numerous Levi’s trademarks, including US number 2,320,789 for use on t-shirts and other garments, and 356,701 for use on jeans, first registered in 1938.

The  products in question are trousers sold by Vineyard with a “tab” attached to the top left of the back pocket, with the Vineyard logo embroidered on it.

“Vineyard Vines’ actions have caused and will cause irreparable harm for which money damages and other remedies are inadequate,” the complaint read.

As well as damages, a transfer of profits and injunctive relief, Levi Strauss is also asking for Vineyard Vines to be required to immediately supply its counsel with a complete list of individuals and entities which have been sold the products.

Levi Strauss has had a busy summer protecting its IP rights.

In June, it sued a counterfeiter in the US after a customs operation saw more than 900 counterfeit Levi’s wallets seized.

As reported by WIPR two months later, the company sued a group of Chinese counterfeiters that were carrying out a sophisticated counterfeiting operation that makes them “virtually impossible to detect”.

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More on this story

Trademarks
9 October 2017   Clothing brand Levi Strauss has continued its fight against “significant counterfeiting” by suing a group allegedly selling unauthorised versions of its goods across the internet.
Trademarks
9 April 2018   Clothing brand Levi Strauss has gone to war with French luxury house Kenzo over the use of “tabs” on the back pocket of trousers.
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11 May 2018   Levi Strauss is suing Italy-based menswear brand Isaia Corp for infringing its ‘Tab device’ trademark.