Coach Sues Kmart Over Alleged Design Theft

Seems like every day lately, we're reading about another trademark or copyright infringement suit -- from Steve Madden and Alexander McQueen to the unlikely pairing of LVMH and Hyundai. This round brings Coach to the table, who has accused mass-market retailer Kmart of stealing its signature "C" logo and applying it to a set of suitcases and satchel bags. Basically, it's big luxury versus big discounts.

Bloomberg reports that Coach, Inc (who, maybe you didn't know, happens to be the country's largest maker of luxury leather handbags) filed a lawsuit against Kmart in Manhattan on March 4th, alleging that Coach had "examined" a luggage set made by Kmart and found the set to be "counterfeit merchandises." The complaint goes on to say that "the luggage set bears on its exterior a design that is confusingly similar to the Coach Op Art trademark and copyright."

While the Bloomberg report didn't name a specific style, we're betting this Treviso Hampton Signature is about the kind of thing they're talking about. It certainly does look similar, but we'll let the courts sort it out.

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