Sakina Juzar

Italian fashion house GUCCI lost its lawsuit in Japanese court, after attempting to block troll brand CUGGL.

By late 2021, Nobuaki Kurokawa, owner of an Osaka based company that parodies famous brands,  was granted a trademark in Japan for his brand ‘CUGGL.’ However when the mark made its debut on apparel, only half of it was visible. 

According to Financial Times, this move pushed GUCCI to argue that the customers would mistake the half concealed CUGGL shirts for their original ones. 

Some of the well known examples of the Osaka based company include Pug/Pomerenian/Labrador (Puma), Bai fanglaca (Balenciaga), Azides (Adidas) and so on. These designs (on fashion apparel ) sell on the company’s website for $12 to $25, and are often the reason for Kurokawa often locking horns with intellectual property lawyers weighing in for heavy international clients. 

According to a summary by a law firm not involved in the case, the Japan Patent Office (JPO) concluded that ‘GUCCI’ and ‘CUGGL’ were different and proceeded to dismiss the former’s trademark claim last month. 

However, GUCCI is not the only brand housing frustration upon this move. In February of this year, the JPO canceled the registration of OCOSITE by Kurokawa, after a trademark parody case by luxury sportswear brand LACOSTE. 

Furthermore, the Italian fashion house has not issued any comments over the court’s proceedings. However, it is expected to appeal the decision.