Gucci wins legal battle against Guess to the tune of $4.7 million

After three long years of battling it out in court, the verdict in the case of Guess vs. Gucci is in: Guess has to pay up $4.7 million to the Italian luxury brand, following a copyright infringement civil suit that Guess was slapped with in 2009.

As we mentioned last month, the fight between the two Gs was a particularly arduous and dramatic one, complete with a feisty judge, tear-jerking testimonials and bitter words on both sides. Though Gucci ended up being the victor in the case, the $4.7 million that they’ll be receiving is a fraction of the $221 million settlement they’d originally demanded.

U.S. District Court Judge Shira Scheindlin said Guess and its footwear licensee Marc Fisher did cause trademark dilution by using Gucci’s famous Quattro G pattern and the red and green stripe; however, she denied Gucci’s copyright claims, saying “courts have uniformly restricted trademark counterfeiting claims to those situations where entire products have been copied stitch-for-stitch.” [WWD]

Though the battle between the two brands has come to a momentary rest, a foreboding quote from Guess CEO Paul Marciano seems to indicate that this may not be the end of the road for the two fashion industry heavyweights.

“I believe Gucci is currently court-forum shopping to find a friendly court but Guess will vigorously defend our rights in every jurisdiction,” he said. [WWD]

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