Several designer jewelry firms won an apology and “substantial” cash settlement last week from an online jeweler who used the phrase “inspired by” alongside the jewelry brands’ names in its marketing.
Under the terms of an agreement revealed July 24, Overstockjeweler.com and its president, Elena Castaneda, promised not to use the trademarked designs of David Yurman, Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, Bulgari and Gucci in the future and apologized for the harm its unauthorized wares had already caused the companies.
The plaintiffs said the settlement also included a “substantial cash component,” which wasn’t disclosed.
The U.S. District Court in Manhattan issued a permanent consent injunction against Overstockjeweler.com on July 9, barring the Web site from further infringements.
You May Also Like
The jewelers filed two separate lawsuits against the Web site in 2007, which the court eventually consolidated into one case. They accused the site of copying various trademarked designs and selling them as “inspired by” or “replicas of,” among other allegations.
On Friday, the site’s homepage included jewelry identified as “Tiffany inspired.”