Italian Gucci wins lawsuit against Chinese shoes maker

SHANGHAI -- Italian fashion house Gucci has won a trademark infringement lawsuit against a shoes maker based in the eastern Jiangsu Province, according to a Shanghai court ruling on Monday.

Senda Group Co. Ltd., a well-known shoes maker in China, was ordered to pay Gucci 180,000 yuan (about US$26,000) in compensation for infringing on the latter's trademark featuring an interlocking "GG" pattern, according to the ruling handed down by the People's Court of Shanghai Pudong District.

The representative of Guccio Gucci S.P.A. said it found Senda's ladies sandals bearing the "GG" logo were sold at Shanghai No. 1 Yaohan Department Store in August 2006.

The trade mark has been in use since 1961 and was approved for exclusive right by China's industrial and commercial authority in 1999 and 2002, the representative said.

Gucci demanded Senda and the Yaohan department store stop manufacturing and selling the shoes carrying the logo and asked for a compensation totaling 610,000 yuan from the two defendants.

The court ruling said customers might be misled into thinking the sandals were jointly designed by Senda and Gucci or that the style of sandals were produced and sold with Gucci's permission.

The department store bore no responsibility for damages in the case but should immediately stop selling the sandals, the court said.