GINA, the iconic shoe brand has just disclosed dramatic damages received from a high street shoe chain for selling copies of Gina shoes.
Luxury shoe brand GINA, whose clientele reads like the index of Who’s Who, took action against Moda in Pelle after finding the copycat shoes on the internet. Moda in Pelle have agreed to pay Gina £100,000 damages together with costs exceeding £150,000. The copycat shoes will now have to be returned from all retailers and be destroyed together with 5000 pairs in Moda in Pelle’s warehouse.
The signature GINA styles in question, named Zeta, Naomi and Colette have been seen on a host of celebrity feet including those belonging to Penelope Cruz, Emma Thompson, Anna Friel and Nigella Lawson.
Attila Kurdash, Managing Director of GINA said “The scale and audacity of the copying was such that we had to take hard, decisive action. We spend considerable time and effort in developing and creating our original designs. To have them copied like this is un-acceptable, that’s why there is a law against it. We have a zero tolerance policy when it comes to copies and will take action whenever necessary.”
GINA hired the services of City law firm Speechly Bircham LLP. Partner Alex Carter-Silk led the action and says “GINA has always taken the protection of its unique designs seriously and never hesitates to take action to protect itself against high street plagiarism. It is imperative that luxury brands such as GINA protect the value of their designs and deter copycats. Europe now has some of the best designers as well as the best legal protection for designs in the world. This is a salutary lesson for importers and retailers to be extremely careful when dealing in designs of unknown provenance”.
Attila Kurdash went on to say “We are delighted that working with Alex has been so successful. It is important that we not only safeguard GINA’s intellectual property rights but also protect all our customers who have invested in the GINA brand”.
For further information, please contact:
Angela Kurdash or Paul Bari at the GINA Press Office on 020 7409 5466, or Pressoffice@gina.com www.gina.com
Alexander Carter-Silk, partner, Speechly Bircham LLP, on 020 7427 6507 or Alexander.carter-silk@speechlys.com
Sarah Gerard, press office, on 020 7427 6679, sarah.gerard@speechlys.com