A small Portuguese liquor producer has won a legal battle against luxury fashion giant Louis Vuitton’ over the use of the initials “LV”.
Louis Vuitton argued that the brand copied its famous logo, but the court ruled in favor of Licores do Vale, located in the northern town of Monção.
The dispute over the initials “LV” lasted more than a year. Following the decision, Licores do Vale thanked its supporters in a social media post and said the initials were “, which belongs to everyone.
The company, “, wrote that the last few months have been busy”.
A post shared by Licores do Vale (@_licores_do_vale)
Louis Vuitton objected to the registration of the “LV – Licores do Vale” trademark after the Portuguese authorities initially approved it. Their appeal to the court temporarily prevented the registration of the brand of liquor.
The French fashion house argued that the two letters were arranged in such a way that they were very similar to its own logo.
According to court documents quoted by the Portuguese newspaper Jornal de Notícias’, Louis Vuitton claimed that the Portuguese company was trying to unfairly exploit the reputation of its brand. The French company also described the logo as “, almost identical to ” at the verbal, phonetic and conceptual “ level.
LVMH, the owner of luxury brands including Louis Vuitton’, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The logo was created by André Ferreira and his girlfriend Tânia Afonso, who sold liquor, jam, honey and biscuits at local agricultural fairs.
The couple said they never expected their hobby business to fall into a legal dispute with one of the world's largest luxury brands.
The decision paves the way for the company to launch its products more widely.
