Call it the battle of the letter G. After three years of legal shuffling, Gucci and Guess Inc. officially duked it out in federal court in New York yesterday. Gucci, which is owned by PPR, originally filed the lawsuit in 2009, reports Bloomberg.
Gucci’s attorney, Louis Ederer of Arnold & Porter LLP, said that the Italian luxury goods company is accusing Guess of having “knocked off” more than $221 million in goods. Guess’s exclusive licensee for shoes, Marc Fisher Footwear, is also named.
Ederer said that Guess Inc. copied Gucci’s interlocking G logo and red and green stripe to make consumers think the products were Gucci. But Guess’s lawyer, Daniel Petrocelli of O’Melveny & Myers, said the mid-level denim label was “staying true to its original unique image,” reports WWD. “Guess is not Gucci,” he said. “It has no reason to be like Gucci and it did not scheme to be like Gucci.”
The trial could go on for up to three weeks, reports WWD.
Although Guess’s attempts to resemble the Italian luxury goods company are obvious, it’s doubtful consumers would ever confuse the two. Those who can afford Gucci would never be duped into buying a Guess product. And for customers who typically shop within the Guess price range, it’s probably the closest thing they can get to Gucci’s coveted G.