lvmh

Another week, another Louis Vuitton lawsuit. This time Louis Vuitton is taking on Google in the European Court of Justice. When a person googles a brand name they can see paid search results which can belong to companies selling similar bags or replica bags and counterfeits. Parent company LVMH says that Google shouldn't be allowed to sell those brand name search words to other advertisers and that they should belong only to the brand that licenses them.

Google has already appealed the case after a French court ruled that it had violated trademark rights which is why it has been kicked up to the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg. Google lawyer Alexandra Neri has said that Google only makes money when a person clicks on the ad and that: "The decision to click or not to click belongs to who -- clearly to the Internet user."

Certain words are blocked from being chosen as keywords in France and according to Bloomberg, when Google's French unit receives proof of a registered trademark it then adds it to the blocked list. In the U.S., Google blocks advertisements that include protected trademarks but LVMH has said Google didn't act quickly enough and only makes a move when it is told there is an infraction (this sounds a lot like LVMH's complaints with eBay over the policing of their site).

This case will take a while, the advocate general on the case is expected to give a non-binding opinion by June 4 but the final ruling may not come until the end of the year.

In a move that's sure to have the notoriously protective types at LVMH up in arms, a provocative New York-based artist has destroyed $12,000 worth of Louis Vuitton Alma handbags (above) for a new sculpture. Conceptual artist R. Lloyd Ming had an assistant purchase a dozen of the $1,000 bags at Louis Vuitton's Manhattan flagship over the holidays. He then cut them in half to make a sculpture for his new solo exhibit, "I Am Not Chinese." As the show's title suggests, the focus of the exhibit is China and what Ming calls the tenuous relationship between China and America, the artist's website notes. Ming's works addresses many controversial Chinese issues including censorship, capitalism under communist rule, trade imbalance and human rights.

"The work is called Vuitton Crucifix and it is a commentary on the new wealth and materialism that has been created in China," Ming says. "However it can also refer to America and many other societies. As a result of China's capitalist revolution the ranks of the rich and middle class are growing. However, capitalism often produces a culture of insecurity, were people can only find a sense of self worth or salvation through possessions and materialism. The Vuitton Crucifix sculpture is a reaction to this culture." Ming has previously used Dom Pérignon packaging in his sculptures, so he is no doubt already on LVMH's radar. He seems to be attempting to forestall any legal action by insisting that his assistant informed the Vuitton salespeople of his artistic intentions.

Yacht makers continue to feel the economic pinch. Today it was announced that luxury yacht firm, Princess Yachts will be cutting up to 450 jobs. The cuts represent almost a fifth of the workforce. The reason for the job loss is the economic climate and the company has said it is working with union and staff representatives to minimize the damage through reduced working hours and other adjustments. The company, which is based in Plymouth, England, was acquired last summer by an investment arm of LVMH, the luxury goods conglomerate. It was bought for an estimated sum of £200 million. A quote from an article by Robert Frank on LVMH's purchase of Royal van Lent shipyard last fall seems particularly prescient. Frank quoted Steve Schwarzman of the private-equity firm, Blackstone Group on the yacht business. Schwarzman said: "The trouble with yachts, is that when business is good, it's really good. But when it falls, it really crashes."

The lone Fendi fragrance, Palazzo, has been scrapped by LVMH. The company has said that it will stop producing the Fendi Palazzo women's scent. Fendi Palazzo was introduced in summer 2007 and was meant to be the start of the relaunch of the Fendi fragrance division. According to Baseneotes, LVMH acquired the license to create the Fendi fragrances from YSL Beaute in 2005. It then discontinued existing Fendi scents, clearing the way for Fendi Palazzo. The new scent with its depiction of a store on the bottle and a scent of Bulgarian rose, orange blossoms, tangerine, bergamot, lemon, pink pepper, and jasmine meant to convey a sophisticated yet feminine air. In 2007 it was given a lavish launch that included an artsy black and white commercial (embedded after the jump).

WWD quotes Gabriella Scarpa, Country General Manager for LVMH Perfumes and Cosmetics in Italy who said that sales had been "encouraging, but didn't meet expectations." The scent was a beloved by many perfume fans who will be heartened to know that LVMH haven't ruled out a return to the fragrance market for Fendi at a later date.

LVMH-owned London shirtmakers and haberdashers Thomas Pink has teamed up with MGM and Columbia Pictures to celebrate the just-released Pink Panther 2 starring Steve Martin as Inspector Clouseau. The company has created a special Pink Panther Collection of shirts and accessories. Striking pink-and-black Slimfit shirts, at $195 apiece, feature a Martini stripe with double-cuff and Morrison stripe with button cuff, while the Pink Panther Plain is a more generously Classic cut shirt trimmed with the Martini stripe. There are also pouncing Pink Panther silver cufflinks with crystal eyes at $150, Martini Stripe boxers at $40 and eye-catching socks at $30, also with a tendency to pinkness. The In the Pink striped tie picks up on the bold pink-and-black theme, while the Pink Panther character appears on the tipping of the tie, which is available at $100. There is also a selection of shirts for women.

Champagne is of course an essential component of Valentine's Day celebrations, and the world's oldest champagne house is doing its bit. Champagne Ruinart, founded in 1729 and now part of LVMH's luxury empire, is offering a special edition gift box set called "My Sweeter Half" (above) for the occasion. The gift box includes two half bottles of the famed French house's premium cuvées: Ruinart Blanc de Blancs (left) and Ruinart Rosé (right). The Sweeter Half set, priced at $85, also comes with a pair of Ruinart champagne flutes. Hint: this would go great with that lingerie from Agent Provocateur.

[via JustLuxe]

The unstoppable Kate Moss is more gorgeous than ever in her latest ad campaign, for Fred Joaillier, the Parisian jeweler established in 1936 and now part of LVMH. The ad (above), shot in beautiful black and white by famed photographer Patrick Demarchelier, shows Kate at her most classic sporting a small fortune in diamonds. We have to say it bears more than a little resemblance to Moss' ads for rival jeweler David Yurman, which are shot by Peter Lindbergh, though on the whole Fred exhibits more taste. Last month we reported on Moss' new ad campaign for French fashion house Longchamp, and it's shaping up to be another banner season for the timeless temptress.

As we've seen before Louis Vuitton is extremely protective of the company brand. Louis Vuitton sued Britney Spears over use of a Vuitton-embroidered dashboard in a video and now it looks like they've gone after rapper T.I. He won't be releasing his "Swing Ya Rag" video which highlights both Gucci and Louis Vuitton products due to actions from both companies. Both brands are mentioned in the song's lyrics. T.I. has stated he won't be making a new video to replace it. Some bloggers are calling for a boycott citing a situation similar to the Cristal kerfuffle a few years back. This doesn't seem to be a hip-hop bias (Kanye West's love of Louis Vuitton is nothing short of legendary) but more of LVMH's zealous legal team at work.

Earlier this month my colleague Deirdre Woollard reported that Louis Vuitton had cut its prices in Japan by 7 percent in an effort to boost flagging sales. Now parent company LVMH has scrapped plans for a brand new Vuitton flagship store in Tokyo's glamorous Ginza shopping district. The 10-floor luxury behemoth complete with restaurant had been slated for opening in 2010, Reuters reports. An official for the developer, Hulic Co Ltd, said the proposed building would probably still be constructed for a different high-end brand. An LVMH spokesman confirmed that Louis Vuitton had withdrawn from the project but "declined to explain the decision or comment on its plans."

As the ultimate holiday gift for champagne connoisseurs, the famed French House of Krug is offering a bespoke cellar case containing six bottles of Krug's prestigious Grand Cuvée. Called Krug 'On My Own Terms', the luxe case can be ordered with a personalized plaque in either metal, mirror, or saddle leather bearing the Champagne Krug coat of arms and the recipient's name or initials. The case costs $1,000. Krug, founded in 1843, is now part of the LVMH empire. The Grand Cuvée is described as "the timelessly stylish signature of Krug." The cellar case is the latest in a line of luxurious Krug offerings, including the Escape Artist trunks and Hat Box.

[via JustLuxe]

French luxury goods conglomerate LVMH is best known for its marquee property Louis Vuitton, but the company has also amassed the world's most amazing collection of top-class wine and spirits brands under its Moët Hennessy group. The incomparable portfolio is celebrated in a suitably lavish new book called Distinctive Vintages ($200, right) just out from Flammarion.

Moët Hennessy owns too many luxury brands to list, but to name a few: Hennessy Cognac; Moët & Chandon, luxe Dom Pérignon, Krug and Veuve Clicquot champagnes; Belvedere and Chopin vodkas; Glenmorangie and deliciously smoky Ardbeg single malt Scotch whiskies; and the famed Chateau d'Yquem wine, synonymous with the finest money can buy.

The book focuses on the collection of fine French wines and spirits, personified in three regions that are "as noble as they are prestigious": Cognac, the ancestral birthplace of Hennessy; Champagne, home Dom Pérignon and its confreres; and Bordeaux, graced by the magical Château d'Yquem. It offers both a practical guide to the three regions as well as an explanation of the different vintages and results produced by the famed houses.

Sean Connery has become the latest iconic personality to star in Louis Vuitton's "core values" ad campaign. The original James Bond posed for Annie Liebovitz near his house in the Bahamas with a waterproof version of Vuitton's famous Keepall bag, WWD reports. The ad (above), which is slated to appear later this month is the latest in a series featuring the likes of Keith Richards, Francis Ford and Sofia Coppola (Vuitton's next guest designer) and Mikhail Gorbachev. Vuitton parent LVMH says the classics-oriented campaign has been getting good results.

Bernard Arnault (right), the billionaire chairman of Louis Vuitton parent LVMH and France's richest man, plans to open a $140 million art museum in Paris within the next 2-3 years despite the grim economic forecast. "It's a way of showing that luxury, which often has an arrogant, elitist, egotistical image, can be generous," Arnault's arts advisor Jean-Paul Claverie tells Bloomberg.

Dubbed the Louis Vuitton Foundation and designed by Frank Gehry, the luxury goods kingpin has high hopes for the museum in Paris's Bois de Boulogne on the site of a former bowling alley, which will display LVMH's extensive art collection. "Mr. Arnault often says that as many people will visit the building as will go see the Eiffel tower,'' Claverie says.

Bastion of top-drawer British style Bamford & Sons is looking for an investor, and luxury goods behemoth LVMH, owner of Louis Vuitton, might buy in. "We've come to the end of phase one, and we need a partner with more expertise in other markets," Lady Carole Bamford, who founded the brand in 2004, tells the Financial Times. She has engaged the Blackstone Group to help the firm, which has experienced 50-55 per cent growth per year for the past two years, field investment offers.

LVMH and rival luxury conglomerate Richemont are in the running, the paper reports. We have previously written about Bamford's custom $30,000 black PVD Rolex Daytona and its fall line of cashmere shooting jackets and such made from sustainable materials. They currently have men's, women's, accessories and bath & body collections, carried at their own retail stores (above) and the likes of Barneys. Bamford bills itself as "the first mainstream luxury brand to make an identity out of its organic stance."

A group of billionaire investors including Oleg Deripaska (Russia's richest man) and LVMH chairman Bernard Arnault are backing a scheme to turn Tivat, a derelict port and ex-Yugoslav naval base in the former communist country of Montenegro, into the next playground for the megarich. The site's former naval dockyard fronting the Adriatic Sea will be converted into a lavish marina for superyachts, officially dubbed Porto Montenegro and biiled as "the Monaco of the Balkans," at a cost of around $350 million, the Times of London reports.

"The yachts are getting bigger and bigger," says Canadian mining magnate Peter Munk, who conceived of the project. "And people are complaining that they can't find proper berths for their boats. That's no problem in Tivat. It used to cater to warships." In addition to the great natural beauty of Montenegro, the development will feature moorings for up to 800 yachts as well as repair yards, hotels, restaurants, shops and possibly a casino. In addition, the Four Seasons is building its first Mediterranean resort there on the site of a former warehouse, slated to open in 2010.

Meanwhile, another oligarch, Luxist mascot Roman Abramovich, is said to be in talks to purchase an eight-mile strip of beach to build his own Montenegrin luxury resort, while Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones and Venus and Serena Williams have recently been spotted house-hunting in the area, the paper reports. This is something of a throwback to the 1950s and 1960s, when stars like Elizabeth Taylor, Sophia Loren and Kirk Douglas holidayed on Montenegro's beautiful red-tiled resort island of Sveti Stefan (above). See the gallery for more.