Fashion Law Network

This episode is all about the world of beauty pageants with a legal spin. This episode features a very special guest, Caitlin Machol, a former Miss USA contestant and Miss Wisconsin titleholder. I begin the episode by providing some background information on the famous, Miss USA, Miss Universe and Miss America pageants, then I discuss and analyze a few lawsuits the organizations have been involved...

This episode is all about the luxury multi-designer retail store, Intermix and their recent store closings. I begin the episode with a brief history of the Intermix company which begins in 1993, then I discuss the change in owners of the Intermix company including the acquisition by a private equity firm and a discussion of private equity firms and takeover implications. At the end of the episode,...

This episode is all about trademark parodies in the context of fashion law. I begin this episode with a brief background of trademark law and the parody defense, next I discuss a few intellectual property parody lawsuits involving Louis Vuitton (Louis Vuitton v. Haute Diggity Dog , Louis Vuitton v. My Other Bag , Louis Vuitton v. MGA Entertainment ). I conclude the episode by providing my legal an...

The RealReal lit the fuse in the secondhand luxury market sector but is the fire dying down now? On this episode I discuss the current state of the secondhand luxury market including a brief background of  unique The RealReal business model and provide my legal analysis and discussion of an interesting securities lawsuit that The RealReal was recently embroiled with. Thank you listening, enjo...

This episode is all about the recent mergers and acquisitions in the luxury fashion space, namely, the Farfetch company and their acquisition of the Yoox-Net-a-Porter Group (YNAP). On this episode, I discuss the history and brief biography of the owner and founder of the Farfetch company and their business model along with other notable, recent luxury fashion house acquisitions. Finally, I discuss...

This is a special episode featuring Mr. Andrei Iancu, the former director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). We begin our discussion with a background and interesting details about the USPTO, the launch of the Council For Innovation Promotion and the value of patents. Then we discuss the recent controversial anti-patent remarks made by Elon Musk and the landmark Supreme Cour...

This episode is all about the Dolce & Gabbana fashion house. I begin with a brief history of the brand and then discuss patent and trademark law in relation to Dolce & Gabbana. I end the episode with my legal analysis and discussion of a trademark infringement situation involving Dolce & Gabbana versus a store called Dolce & Banana! Enjoy and thank you for listening.  The...

How is luxury department store Neiman Marcus thriving when most department stores are struggling at unprecedented levels? I answer this question and much more on this episode. I also provide my legal analysis, discussion and update on the Neiman Marcus legal battle with (now closed) hedge fund Marble Ridge Capital. Episode Notes: 1. Marble Ridge Capital LP v. Neiman Marcus Group Inc., et al, DC-18...

This episode is all about the world of luxury fragrances with a focus on the famous Chanel No. 5 perfume. I begin with a brief history of the Chanel No. 5 perfume then discuss various forms of legal protection for fragrances and end the episode with a legal analysis of a recent lawsuit centering on the Chanel No. 5 perfume.  Episode Notes:  1. Chanel v. Love Story No. 9  2. Civ...

This episode is all about the luxury fashion house of Christian Louboutin. I begin with some brief history of the Louboutin fashion house, then discuss patents and trademarks in relation to Louboutin. Finally, I discuss and provide a legal analysis of the landmark lawsuit over the red soled stilettos initiated by Christian Louboutin against Yves Saint Laurent. Enjoy and thank you for listenin...

This episode is all about the luxury jewelry house of Cartier. I begin with some brief history of the Cartier fashion house, then discuss trademark and trade dress law in relation to Cartier. Finally, I discuss and provide a legal analysis of the new lawsuit initiated by Cartier and Amazon against various influencers attempting to sell allegedly counterfeit Cartier jewelry. Enjoy and thank yo...

This episode is all about the Balmain fashion house. I begin with some recent Balmain news and then provide a brief history of the fashion house. Next, I discuss and analyze a few interesting patents and trademarks owned by Balmain. Finally, I provide my legal analysis of two intellectual property lawsuits that Balmain has been embroiled in. Enjoy and thank you for listening! 

This episode is all about the post pandemic luxury sales boom many stores are currently experiencing, with a focus on famed American department store, Saks Fifth Avenue. Enjoy and thank you for listening.  Episode notes: 1. Giordano v. Saks Inc., 1:20-cv-00833, (E.D.N.Y.) 2. Beauty Holdings LLC, d/b/a The Salon Project By Joel Warren v. Saks & Company LLC et al

This episode is all about the Missoni fashion house. I begin with some brief history of Missoni, then I discuss the concept of patent inventorship and analyze some interesting patents and trademarks that Missoni owns. Finally, I provide my legal analysis of a situation where a non-inventor filed and obtained a design patent for a very popular it bag, a cautionary tale of sitting on your intel...

This episode is all about luxury fashion counterfeiting. I provide some background information about the world of counterfeiting and discuss the latest U.S. Intellectual Property and Counterfeit Goods— Landscape Review of Existing/Emerging Research document. Then, I provide my legal analysis of three recent luxury counterfeit-centric lawsuits. Finally, I discuss the fascinating new blockchain...

This episode is all about the Hermes fashion house featuring a special guest, Cheryl, a fellow patent attorney and Hermes connoisseur. Cheryl and I are fascinated by the fact that Hermes rarely advertises but remains one of the top performing luxury fashion houses, they even surpassed their usual sales during the covid pandemic! Cheryl and I discuss the possible reasons for this, Hermes' extremely...

This episode is all about the Chloe luxury fashion house. I begin with some history of Chloe and Richemont, then discuss the interesting patents and trademarks owned by the fashion house and then discuss and analyze Chloe's recent B-Corp Certification. Finally, I discuss and analyze a trademark infringement and counterfeiting lawsuit that Chloe was recently embroiled in. Episode Notes: ...

And just like that...I'm back with season 4 of the podcast series! This episode is about yet another trademark infringement lawsuit Chanel is embroiled in involving a secondary market reseller, an independent US based jewelry company which was selling jewelry using repurposed Chanel buttons. I also discuss the first sale doctrine and the various patents and trademarks that the Chanel fashion house...

This episode is all about the Prada fashion house. I begin with some history of Prada, then discuss the interesting patents and trademarks owned by Prada and then discuss and analyze a European trademark infringement case involving the Prada trademark and an Indonesian company seeking to trademark “The Rich Prada”. Finally, I discuss and analyze an unusual ongoing lawsuit that Prada is embroiled i...

This episode is all about NFT, non-fungible tokens featuring a special guest, California based patent attorney and NFT legal expert, Irene Lee. For the past 20 years she has focused her practice on all aspects of intellectual property, including patent, trademark, copyright, trade secret, and right of publicity. I begin the episode with a brief definition of key NFT terms and then discuss my...

This episode all about mergers, acquisitions and the recent LVMH/Tiffany acquisition. This is a special episode featuring an interview and discussion with Laura Noroski, a corporate transactional attorney in Orange County, California who is well-versed in merger and acquisition law.  Enjoy and thank you for listening!  Episode Notes:  1. Special Guest: Laura Noroski is a partner at...

This episode is all about the Celine fashion house. I begin with some  brief history of the fashion house which started back in 1945, with a focus on the controversy when creative director Hedi Slimane took the helm in 2018. Then I discuss some brief patent and trademark law and how it relates to the Celine fashion house and at the end of the episode I provide a discussion and analysis of a f...

This episode is all about the natural selection process in the retail industry. I focus my analysis on one endangered species in particular, the shopping mall. I begin with some background information and history on American shopping malls and discuss a few recent mall lawsuits. Then I discuss general bankruptcy law and provide a recent timeline of various major retailer bankruptcies.  

This episode is all about off price retailers! I begin with a discussion of the TJ Maxx family of stores (TJ Maxx, TK Maxx, Marshall's etc.) and how some major luxury designer merchandise from brands like Manolo Blahnik, Gucci, Fendi, Saint Laurent end up for sale there at a major discount. I also discuss other off price retailers like Last Call by Neiman Marcus. At the end of the episode I discus...

This episode is all about the French luxury Givenchy fashion house. I begin with some brief history of the fashion house including how LVMH acquired the Givenchy company in the mid 80’s. Then I discuss patent and trademark law in relation to Givenchy focusing on trade dress which is a form of trademark law that I have not yet discussed on this podcast series. Finally, I illustrate how trade dress...