Ermenegildo Zegna wins landmark legal battle against counterfeiting in China

By

Dominique Muret

Published
Oct 24, 2018

From now on, it should be more difficult for Chinese companies to copy big-name western luxury labels. After a five-year legal battle against a Chinese counterfeiter, Ermenegildo Zegna has just secured a victory that could change the tide in the fight against false goods in the country. 

 
"The Supreme People's Court, the highest authority in the Chinese judiciary system, has, for the first time, ruled to defend the intellectual property rights of a non-Chinese company," the Italian luxury menswear brand stated in a press release, having won a case against a Chinese business selling accessories and apparel under the name "Yves Zegnoa".
 
The court highlighted that "imitating the Italian brand's logo, which enjoys strong recognition and reputation in China, a country in which the label has been present for close to 30 years, represented a violation of its intellectual property rights". The verdict stands in stark contrast to the rulings made by previous jurisdictions, which had at most acknowledged a passing similarity between the two brands. 

"This decision is particularly important, not only because it protects our intellectual property rights in China [...], but also because it confirms the positive progress being made in Chinese jurisprudence regarding protection of competition. This progress is moving towards an increasingly fair and unprejudiced market, regulated in the interests of all national and international companies operating in China", commented Ermenegildo Zegna CEO Gildo Zegna. 
 
China is the top international market for Ermenegildo Zegna, which reorganised its retail network in the country from 2015 to 2016, decreasing its store count from 90 to 80.