Lawsuits hit Target
By CHRISTINA OCCHIPINTI:: October 12, 2006

For the second time in two weeks, Target is on the receiving end of lawsuits citing trademark infringement.

Coach Inc., a luxury maker of handbags and accessories, has accused Target of advertising and selling counterfeit Coach bags at their Largo, Fla., store in a lawsuit filed Sept. 29. The handbags, which were marked with the “C” Coach logo and Coach tags, were being advertised as authentic merchandise. Coach claims it suffered damages in excess of $1 million as a result of Target’s counterfeit bags.

Lucky Brand Dungarees, a maker of high-end jeans and apparel, has jumped on the copyright infringement bandwagon. In a lawsuit filed on Oct. 5, Lucky alleges Target has copied the company’s “unique and original embroidered floral design and rear pocket stitch design” on their own line of jeans.

Lucky learned that Target was using the floral and rear pocket stitch design on two lines of jeans in March. Maximum Exposure was also named in the lawsuit because they designed the jeans, which were sold exclusively to Target.