Chris Schwegmann Comments on Luxury Retailer’s Trademark Claims in Houston Chronicle

Manufacturers of high-end consumer products are increasingly taking legal action against retailers selling counterfeit goods. Coach, the 75-year-old maker of luxury leather handbags, wallets and belts, recently sued a Houston store and its owners for allegedly making and selling fake products using the Coach logos and designs in violation of the company’s trademark.  The Houston Chronicle interviewed Lynn Pinker Hurst & Schwegmann partner Chris Schwegmann about this trend, who noted that luxury brands are going out of their way to prosecute these cases because they want to get the fakes off the street, protect the integrity of their brand, and discourage other retailers from selling counterfeit merchandise. He observed that federal custom officials also have ramped up efforts to find and seize counterfeit products. Read the entire article here.