Louis Vuitton Facing Signficant Copycats Globally

Imitation is the greatest form of flattery as many often say. Copying is certainly a common occurence when it comes to the fashion industry. Fashion firms have always faced counterfeit manufacturers attempting to capitalize on a certain fashion label’s success in the marketplace by offering lower-priced copycat merchandise. People are attracted to these products because they either do not realize they are copycat merchandise or they like the idea of paying less while also being seen as hip and stylish, rocking the latest fashion trends.

Also, it is not only small time counterfeit networks and operations that are trying to make money from infringing on an established fashion firm’s success. There are larger fashion houses that have been called out for stealing the designs of their competitors.

All of this has resulted in legal action across the world, resulting in monetary damages being awarded. In some cases law enforcement has even arrested and imprisoned copycats and counterfeiters all over the world.

Success of Louis Vuitton prompts unprecedented amount of copycats

Louis Vuitton is one of the world’s most famous and successful luxury fashion houses with global acclaim and a track record that spans over a century. Founded in 1854, the French fashion house was the world’s most valuable brand in the industry for six years from 2006 to 2012. Over many decades numerous celebrities have been known to be fans of the luxury fashion brand, including Audrey Hepburn, Jane Fonda, Jacquelyn Kennedy Onassis, Paris Hilton and many more. Of course, given the influence that celebrity culture has over consumers, these stamps of approval have played a significant role in catipulting the Louis Vuitton brand into one of the most iconic fashion brands in world history.

Given the success and popularity of the Louis Vuitton brand it is not much of a surprise that the fashion brand is facing numerous attempts of copycats to counterfeit Louis Vuitton merchandise of all types such as clothing, jewelry, shoes, wallets and other fashion products. However, the amount of Louis Vuitton copycats globally, has prompted the fashion house to take action and has brought about actions by law enforcement agencies worldwide.

Police crackdown on copycat Louis Vuitton bag network in China

Many people do not realize that the fashion market can be a criminal enterprise in some cases. Yes, it is true that you can even end up being arrested and put in prison for being a copycat fashion dealer. This is what happened in China when authorities decided to arrest a number of individuals who were a part of a large criminal network of counterfeiters and copycats.

Chinese police in 2020 and 2021 arrested around 100 people in an operation aimed at shutting down an illegal network of Louis Vuitton copycat bag manufacturers. The Chinese police began investigating the counterfeiting network after noticing the copycat bags being sold via WeChat, a China-based social media app which enables instant messaging, mobile payments and other features for users.

Apparently, the criminal network purchased authentic Louis Vuitton bags in order to study how the product was manufactured with the aim of creating their own copycat product. They were even able to replicate Louis Vuitton bags that had not yet entered the Chinese retail market. Also, the copycat bag network utilized sophisticated technology, adding specialized computer chips that enabled buyers to “authenticate” their purchases.

The copycat network, based in Guangdong Province, reportedly earned around $15 million dollars from selling counterfeit bags. The copycat bags cost approximately $15 to $30 to produce and were sold to dealers and retailers for $45 to $75. The retailers would then sell the product with a 40 percent mark up to the public.

Louis Vuitton sues to stop copycat shoes in China

Not only are Louis Vuitton bags being counterfeited, all types of other apparel and merchandise from the fashion design firm’s lines have been ripped off by copycats. Louis Vuitton shoes have also been popular, making these products attractive targets for copyright infringers. One of these allged Louis Vuitton shoe copycats is a major fashion firm operating out of Hong Kong.

In a lawsuit filed in China in 2019 Louis Vuitton alleged that a Chinese company had infringed on the French fashion house’s shoe design. The action taken against Belle International Holdings accused the Hong Kong-based company of manufacturing a copycat design of Louis Vuitton’s sneaker which was a part of the French design company’s Archlight collection.

The sneaker was known as Louis Vuitton’s “dad” shoe among fashion critics and consumers of the highly popular brand. The Archlight shoe had quickly become popular among celebrities, such as actor Jaden Smith who remarked on the shoe’s futuristic design. Jaden along with sibling Willow are the children of famous actor and musician Will Smith. The two have been followed by the media and entertainment industry watchers for their sense of fashion trends. This means that Jaden remarking positively about the Louis Vuitton shoes had surely boosted demand for this particular merchandise, therefore further incentivizing many, such as Belle, to allegedly want to capitalize on this celebrity endorsement.

The Archlight sneaker was released in the Spring/Summer 2018 collection and had been selling on the global market since February 2018. Louis Vuitton began noticing Belle selling similarly-designed shoes through the Chinese company’s subsidiaries, Belle International China and Best Able Footwear. This prompted the French fashion firm to file a lawsuit in early May 2019 in Hong Kong’s High Court.

Although many Louis Vuitton infringement lawsuits are filed against relatively unknown or smaller entities, this particular case stands out since Belle is an established fashion company in the China market. Belle already accounted for 20 percent of the shoe market in China. This means Belle has significant resources and influence available to fight the copycat lawsuit.

Interestingly, Louis Vuitton’s parent company, LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE, had held a stake in Belle International Holdings after it invested in Belle’s Intital Public Offering (IPO) by putting up $30 million. Belle International Holdings has since been privatized by CDH Investments which purchased the company outright for $6.8 billion in 2017.

Louis Vuitton prevails in Singapore copyright infringement lawsuit

It certainly seems like Asia is a prime market for copycats looking to sell their imitation Louis Vuitton products to consumers. Here is another example of copyright infringement against Louis Vuitton coming out of Singapore.

In 2015 Louis Vuitton was awarded $35,000 in statutory damages in a legal dispute against a retailer in Singapore who was found to have violated the fashion house’s intellectual property. The retailer, operating out of Raffles City shopping center, Cuffz was found to be selling copycats of Louis Vuitton’s line of wallets. The copycat wallets bore the Louis Vuitton trademark in a recognizable manner which constituted infringement, according to the High Court in Singapore. Cuffz’s retail store was closed in May 2015 shortly after Singapore police raided the location and seized the infringing merchandise.

Court rules against defendant Louis Vuitton in copyright infringement case in France

It turns out that Louis Vuitton is not always successful in its copyright lawsuits. In fact, there are times when the tables are turned and Louis Vuitton is the party that is being accused of being the copycat. In a copyright infringement dispute which spanned seven years, Louis Vuitton was ordered by a Paris appeal court to pay €900,000 to independent fashion designer Jocelyne Imbert for infringing on her intellectual property. The appeal court layed down the judgement on March 11, 2022.

The copycat accusations revolve around a lock design which is a part of the Twist line manufactured by Louis Vuitton. This lock design is included in handbags, wallets and other accessories that are part of the Twist line. Imbert designed the lock called “LV tournant” in 1988 for Louis Vuitton.

As a part of the contract with the French fashion design house Imbert is supposed to receive further compensation if Louis Vuitton ends up utilizing the lock design in future lines of bags and other merchandise. It turns out that in 2014 Imbert discovered that Louis Vuitton was using her lock design in the new Twist line as well as other products which prompted her to take legal action to enforce her intellectual property rights.

Louis Vuitton finding itself on the opposite side of a copyright infringement lawsuit shows just how tricky it can be to navigate the laws surrounding intellectual property while also trying to continue making large profits in the lucrative fashion industry. The legal implications can be further exacerbated when it comes to taking legal action in foreign countries where the legal system may be different than one may be used to.

Louis Vuitton mocks fashion copycats

On the other hand, Louis Vuitton does not only resort to litigation in order to hit back at copycats and copyright infringement. The fashion design company has proven to have a bit of a sense of humor when it comes to these issues. Fashion designer Nicolas Ghesquiere decided to address this issue in a cheeky manner during his debut runway show with Louis Vuitton.

Understanding that the Louis Vuitton logo and designs are the most copied in the world of copycat and counterfeit fashion, Ghesquiere made a cheeky selection when it came to the music accompanying the catwalk fashion show. The runway fashion show was accompanied by a song with the lyrics “C’mere copycat” while the audience seemed to immediately understand the fashion designer’s point. Although this likely does not persuade any copycats to stop doing what they are doing, it is quite amusing for the audience, public and onlookers.

The future of the Louis Vuitton copycat market

Living in a world of hyper capitalism which encourages bending or even breaking the rules in order to get ahead in the pursuit of accumulation and profitseeking, you can expect that the Louis Vuitton copycat market to continue to remain robust despite efforts from the French fashion house and authorities all over the world to stop it. As long as major fashion designers, such as Louis Vuitton continue to be viewed as the leader of fashion trends while also charging large amounts of money for merchandise, there will be consumer demand for the status of owning the brand without having to pay the high prices.

For all of those copycats who are arrested by authorities or halted in a lawsuit there are likely even more counterfeiters who will continue to deal in copycat Louis Vuitton merchandise. In this light consumers will want to be careful when making decisions to purchase luxury fashion goods from brands such as Louis Vuitton. This can be particularly true when it comes to shopping around online on relatively unregulated social media apps, such as WeChat or TikTok. Many consumers may be duped into buying a copycat Louis Vuitton purse, shoes or some other type of apparel, only to find out after it is too late that they had wasted their money on something they thought was an authentic Louis Vuitton.