Running a Florida company involves numerous business decisions. In some cases, those decisions may mean choosing to trademark or otherwise protect certain intellectual property that is important to business operations. It may also mean deciding to pursue business litigation when another company violates or infringes upon those protections.
The decision to move forward with litigation was recently made by Levi Strauss and Co. The company claims that Yves Saint Laurent America have infringed upon its trademark, caused dilution and created unfair competition by putting fabric tabs on the back pocket of YSL jeans. Levi’s trademarked the small tab that typically comes in red, blue or white and has held the rights for decades. The company first used the tab in 1936.
The company also believes that YSL’s use of the tab causes consumers to believe that a business relationship exists between the two companies though that is not that case. They hope that the lawsuit will result in YSL no longer being able to put the tab on its apparel. Levi’s also seeks compensation for any profits YSL made while using the trademarked tab.
Making the decision to move forward with business litigation is not always easy, but in some cases, as this situation demonstrates, taking legal action may be necessary to protect business operations. Florida company owners undoubtedly do not want another company’s infringement to cause financially-damaging confusion among consumers. If they do face such issues, they may want to explore their legal options for addressing the infringement and protecting their intellectual property.