Calvin Klein vs. Ralph Lauren no Romance?
This article was originally published in The Rose Sheet
Executive Summary
Unilever has sold $342 mil. worth of Calvin Klein Eternity items in the U.S. and $758 mil. worldwide, according to trademark suit documents. The company has spent over $174 mil. in the U.S. and $256 mil. worldwide on the brand, the filings state. The suit, filed June 19 in Manhattan federal court by Unilever subsidiary Conopco, alleges the bottle design for the upcoming Ralph Lauren women's fragrance launch Romance infringes Klein's trademark for Calvin Klein's Eternity, introduced in 1988. Cosmair division Lauren will distribute Romance in a bottle "whose design is confusingly similar" to Eternity's, Klein asserts. According to Klein, the perfume bottle is also used as "a trademark to identify the source of the entire Eternity product line." The company is seeking to have Lauren discontinue use of the trademarked bottle, recall all units distributed or sold as well as packaging, containers, advertising or promotional materials that display the bottle. The plaintiff also is requesting monetary relief...