Not all press is good press, according to Louis Vuitton. In this case, however, the court does not agree.
The designer label sued film studio Warner Brothers over a scene in the popular 2011 movie “The Hangover: Part II” in which Zach Galifianakis’s character, Alan Garner, carries what appears to be a Louis Vuitton handbag, but is actually a lookalike made by Chinese-American handbag manufacturer Diophy. The company claimed this scene caused confusion to customers, especially when Galifianakis says, “Careful, that’s a Louis Vuitton,” mispronouncing “Louis” as “Lewis.”
The district court in Manhattan just didn’t believe that consumers noticed the fake bag or cared enough about it to cause harm to the brand when it decided last week that Warner Brothers wasn’t liable. The bag was only onscreen for 30 seconds, and even if moviegoers had noticed it was a fake, the court doubted they would construe that Louis Vuitton approved of its use in the film.
“The likelihood of confusion is minimal,” the court wrote.
Read more at Thomson Reuters.
For more InsideCounsel coverage of counterfeit handbags, see below:
