Louis Vuitton sues Maryland Live! Casino for millions alleging promotion ripped off iconic logo, damaged brand
French fashion house Louis Vuitton is suing Maryland Live! Casino in Hanover, Maryland, in Anne Arundel County, claiming they ripped off the LV logo and design for a promotion, placing it on bags and other items marketed to casino rewards members.
The luxury retailer hired a powerful law firm and wants millions in damages.
The case has been assigned to prominent Judge James K. Bredar at Baltimore's federal courthouse.
Valuable brand
For almost 175 years, the iconic French retailer Louis Vuitton has been associated with craftsmanship and luxury.
"The interlocking LV is among the most recognizable and copied symbols in the world," CBS News' Sunday Morning said in a recent report on the company, which is the world's largest luxury brand.
The lawsuit
A lawsuit filed in Baltimore's federal court this week alleges trademark infringement.
It cites a widely publicized promotion last April for Maryland Live! Casino called "The Art of Luxury," which gave casino rewards members handbags, backpacks, toiletry bags, and more items. The lawsuit said the products used Louis Vuitton's iconic flower logo without authorization.
The brand's L-V monogram was replaced with the letters L-I-V-E.
The lawsuit called it a "particularly brazen move…to purposefully infringe the iconic Louis Vuitton Monogram Design and to effectively link Louis Vuitton with defendants' Live! Casino. This was done with one specific and intentional purpose—to falsely convey to the consuming public that Louis Vuitton and defendants' Live Casino are affiliated."
The fashion house said it sent a cease-and desist letter to the casino—but the following month, Maryland Live! hosted another promotion—"Endless Elegance"—a giveaway with the chance to win purportedly genuine Louis Vuitton merchandise.
Louis Vuitton called the promotions "part of a willful and multi-step initiative to lure patrons to their casino to gamble, dine, and shop—all for defendants' commercial gain and profit."
The retailer said the casino was "intentionally confusing and deceiving the public and causing persistent and irreparable damage to Louis Vuitton."
What the lawsuit seeks
Louis Vuitton demands that all the copycat merchandise with the Maryland Live! logo was destroyed, and the casino sent out corrective advertising—telling their customers the products in the initial giveaway were not authentic and stressing the casino has no association with Louis Vuitton.
They also seek "up to $2,000,000 per counterfeit mark per type of goods."
Louis Vuitton stated in their complaint, "The unauthorized use of inferior or uncontrolled goods in connection with the Louis Vuitton
Trademarks diminishes the luxury image cultivated by Louis Vuitton and risks creating negative associations in the minds of consumers."
WJZ Investigates did reach out to Maryland Live! casino for comment and has not yet received a response.
