Louis Vuitton Reaches Settlement Agreement with Honda Canada and Its Advertising Agency, Grip

--Louis Vuitton Receives Settlement Payment from Grip--

TORONTO--()--Louis Vuitton Malletier, SA (“Louis Vuitton”) part of LVMH, the world’s leading luxury group, today announced that it has reached a settlement agreement with Honda Canada Inc. (“Honda”) and Grip Limited, Honda’s advertising agency, regarding a statement of claim filed by Louis Vuitton in the Federal Court of Canada over use of Louis Vuitton’s marks in an advertising campaign for Honda’s CrossTour vehicle that ran in print and on television in late 2009 and early 2010. The campaign conceived by Grip was intended to convey a sense of luxury and featured luggage bearing images alleged to be infringements of Louis Vuitton’s Toile Monogram marks and Damier marks.

Eric Pradon, Senior Vice President of Louis Vuitton said, “We are very pleased to have reached this amicable settlement with Honda and Grip to protect creativity. While the connotation of luxury evoked by Louis Vuitton products is unmistakable, that recognition stems from our heritage of quality and craftsmanship and decades of investment in our products. The right to use our products and our marks—in advertising campaigns and all other forms of communication, belongs to Louis Vuitton alone. Louis Vuitton never licenses our marks nor grants other parties permission to use our marks to promote their own products. We take the protection of our trademarks very seriously and will defend them against unauthorized use wherever it may occur.”

ABOUT LOUIS VUITTON:

Founded in Paris in 1854, Louis Vuitton has been synonymous with the art of travel. Its iconic trunks and luggage have accompanied journeys throughout time. With the arrival of Artistic Director Marc Jacobs in 1997, Louis Vuitton extended its expertise to ready-to-wear, shoes, accessories, watches and jewelry, available in its exclusive network of stores located in over sixty countries.

Contacts

Kekst and Company
Victoria Weld/Jim Fingeroth
212-521-4800

Contacts

Kekst and Company
Victoria Weld/Jim Fingeroth
212-521-4800