May 18 - An enormous Louis Vuitton suitcase advertisement in downtown Shanghai may be destroyed within a week after the city government launched a crackdown on advertising that violates regulations, the Shanghai Daily reported on Wednesday.

Louis Vuitton giant suitcase advertisement in Shanghai

The advertisement, which stands 20 metres tall and 4 metres thick around the facade of a luxury mall, was built last year to conceal renovation work. However, the huge advertisement violates city regulations, which only allow that type of outdoor advertisement to be 9 metres tall.

District officials launched the crackdown on Tuesday and promised to demolish offending advertisements within seven days if they were not modified.

Louis Vuitton told the paper that the company has all the necessary permission but will modify the advertisement if required.

Residents around the area complained that the huge suitcase is a danger to public safety because it takes up too much sidewalk space, forcing pedestrians to walk on the road, the paper reported.

Shanghai is one of China's wealthiest cities and its citizens among the most brand-conscious in the country. Luxury brands such as Louis Vuitton, Hermes and Prada are tripping over each other to sell their products.

The Louis Vuitton trunk has spurred copycats, with other luxury brands preparing to build huge advertisements around that space, the paper reported earlier in the week.

In March, Beijing banned advertisements that promote hedonism and advocate lifestyles of "emperors and the nobility", in a nod to growing public discontent over social inequality.

(Reporting by Melanie Lee; Editing by Ken Wills)