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3 U. Cent. Fla. Dep't Legal Stud. L.J. 41 (2020)
Trademark Troll? Louis Vuitton and the Relentless Quest for Brand Protection

handle is hein.journals/ucflaegs3 and id is 42 raw text is: 


   TRADEMARK TROLL? LOUIS VUITTON AND THE RELENTLESS

                    QUEST FOR BRAND PROTECTION


                              Konstantin Gluvacevic

I. INTRODUCTION

At thirteen years of age, Louis Vuitton left behind his provincial life in the eastern
French hamlet  of Anchay and embarked  on a journey to Paris by foot; this voyage,
including the stops he would make to support himself by working odd jobs, would
take two years to complete.' In Paris, a sixteen year old Vuitton apprenticed under
the supervision of a distinguished box-maker, quickly acquiring himself a repute as
being among   the city's leading artisans in his craft.2 This reputation led to his
appointment  as the  personal box-maker  and packer  of Eugenie de Montijo, the
Spanish countess who became  Empress  of France upon her marriage to Napoleon Ill;
the famed   clientele this appointment attracted prompted  Vuitton to  leave his
apprenticeship and open a Parisian box-making and packing workshop of his own in
1854.3 Over one hundred sixty years later, Louis Vuitton's eponymous brand, formally
referred to as Louis Vuitton Malletier, has grown into a global leader in the fashion
industry, earning the title of being the world's most valuable luxury brand for six
consecutive years (2006-2012),4 which it was also named in 2019.5 That same year,
Louis Vuitton was deemed   the twelfth most valuable brand  in the world, with a
calculated brand valuation of $39.3 billion.6

Given this success, as well as the status symbol image that it has fostered, Louis
Vuitton is consistently ranked among the most counterfeited brands in the world, with
the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development specifically identifying
Louis Vuitton as a brand that is at particularly high-risk for counterfeiting,7 while
valuing Louis Vuitton's trademark worth at $22.5 billion.8 In response to the rampant

1 Olivia Holborow, Louis Vuitton, Vogue UK, 2012, https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/louis-vuitton (last
visited Feb. 17, 2020).
2 Id.
3 Id.
' Andrew Roberts, Louis Vuitton Tops Hermes as World's Most Valuable Luxury Brand, Bloomberg,
2012, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2012-05-21/louis-vuitton-tops-hennes-as-world-s-
most-valuable-luxury-brand (last visited Feb. 17. 2020).
5 See Forbes, Louis Vuitton, 2019, https://www.forbes.com/companies/louis-vuitton (last visited Feb.
17, 2020).
6 Id.
? OECD/EUIPO, Trade in Counterfeit and Pirated Goods: Mapping the Economic Impact, 2016,
https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264252653-en. Citing the discussion at 54.
8 Id. at 30.
                                       41

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