22 August 2014Trademarks

Ralph Lauren scores Polo victory over Italian company

US fashion house Ralph Lauren has defeated an Italian company it accused of copying one of its most famous brands.

According to Ralph Lauren, Fratelli Martinelli Textile Srl had used its signature Polo player logo to sell a line of home accessories.

In a judgment released on Tuesday (August 19), District Court judge Paola Gandolfi at the Milan District Court brought to a close the two-year legal battle and sided with the US company.

Fratelli was ordered to pay around €75,000 ($100,000) and remove all of its infringing merchandise.

“We are very pleased with this decision and that the court recognised and acknowledged the uniqueness of the Ralph Lauren logo and polo player," a Ralph Lauren spokesperson said.

"We will continue to defend our brands and heritage against attempts to infringe on our IP rights or to copy our unique trademarks and logos."

Ralph Lauren’s Polo brand, which carries a logo of a polo player on its clothes, is one of the famous lines sold at the company. It has a registered trademark for the logo in 76 countries.

Last year, WIPR reported that Ralph Lauren had lost out on its bid to secure the .polo generic top-level-domain following complaints from the United States Polo Association (USPA).

In a separate case, the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit issued an opinion finding that the USPA could be banned from using a double horseman logo on its fragrances or cosmetics because it was too similar to trademarks owned by Ralph Lauren.

Fratelli Martinelli did not respond immediately to a request for comment.

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