Cartier slaps Lugano with infringement claims

Cartier has accused rival brand Lugano Diamonds of infringing its copyright and a design patent used to protect products in the Panthère jewellery collection.

In a lawsuit filed at the US District Court for the Central District of California on Thursday (May 28), the luxury brand claimed that Lugano is selling products that infringe its protection for rings, earrings and necklaces.

Cartier’s design patent D680,024 covers a design for a panther’s head, used on earrings and rings that are part of the Panthère collection. It was awarded the patent in April 2013.

The company also owns a copyright registration for its Parrot Necklace, also part of the Panthère collection.

According to the complaint, Cartier discovered the alleged infringement in March after noticing a Lugano advert on social networking site Facebook that featured a woman in a blue dress wearing a necklace.

A month later, a representative from Cartier allegedly visited Lugano’s showroom in California and was told that the necklaces were being sold for $68,000 each.

At the showroom, the representative also discovered earrings and rings that were believed to be infringing, according to the suit.

Cartier also said it found the allegedly infringing items available for sale on Lugano’s official website.

In May, Cartier sent a cease-and-desist letter to Lugano requesting that it stopped selling the disputed products but both parties were unable to settle the dispute.

Cartier has requested that Lugano be found liable for wilfully infringing both the copyright registration and the design patent at the centre of the row.

Neither Cartier nor Lugano had responded to a request for comment at the time of publication.