British sports fashion label Fred Perry has settled a legal dispute with variety goods e-tailer TheHut.com, which was found to be selling counterfeit jumpers bearing the brand‘s name and logo, it has been announced today.
Offering the counterfeit goods on its websites thehut.com, zavvi.com, sendit.com as well as its outlets on eBay and Amazon, TheHut.com was found to be infringing Fred Perry;s intellectual property rights and has been ordered to seize sales of the garments in future.
As part of the settlement, the e-tailer has also been ordered to pay damages as well as Fred Perry‘s legal costs, though the retailer gave no details of the amount due.
“We are extremely proud of our heritage and iconic Laurel Wreath logo,” a statement from Fred Perry said.
“We will not hesitate to enforce our intellectual property rights when they are infringed and we will continue to take action against the sellers and manufacturers of counterfeit versions of our garments.
“The sale of counterfeit garments such as the jumpers sold by The Hut.com Limited damages our reputation in the eyes of the general public as they believe that they are buying genuine Fred Perry garments, but these goods are not manufactured to the standards associated with the Fred Perry brand.”
Represented by legal firm Clarke Willmott LLP, Fred Perry is highly vigilant in its quest to avoid the sale of counterfeit goods and last September settled a similar dispute with fashion giant Arcadia.
Roy Crozier, Joint Head of Intellectual Property at Clarke Willmott explained the importance of the latest action.
He commented: “The message to all retailers is clear in that Fred Perry has unshakeable resolve in ensuring that its intellectual property rights are enforced and that they should take all necessary steps to ensure the provenance of the goods which they offer for sale.”
