Breaking: Gucci & Forever 21 Settle Stripes Case

Forever 21 and Gucci have settled their lawsuit over the Gucci Web trademarks – the famous Gucci Blue-Red-Blue and Green-Red-Green stripes.

The high-profile companies’ struggle over stripes created ripples throughout the fashion industry, especially among companies accustomed to sending cease-and-desist letters and negotiating private settlements with fast fashion’s usual suspects.   F21’s preemptive dash to court via a declaratory judgment action didn’t strip Gucci of its stripes, but it will have a lingering effect on brand protection programs, causing trademark owners to re-consider whether sending a C&D is risk-free.

Disclosure: Professor Scafidi was an expert for Gucci in this case.