Delhi High Court Orders Permanent Injunction And Damages For Unauthorized Use Of Louis Vuitton Copyrighted Images

Delhi High Court Orders Permanent Injunction And Damages For Unauthorized Use Of Louis Vuitton Copyrighted Images

In a recent judgment, Justice Mini Pushkarna of the Delhi High Court addressed a suit filed by Louis Vuitton Malletier seeking permanent injunction, damages, and other appropriate reliefs against the defendants. The central issue in the case was the unauthorized use of photographs and images, copyrighted by the plaintiff. The Court has restrained the defendants from using these copyrighted materials and ordered them to pay ₹5,00,000 directly to the plaintiff in France.

In January and November 2022, Louis Vuitton discovered that Defendants 1 and 2 were selling products on their website using photographs and images without authorization, which were copyrighted by the plaintiff. The plaintiff argued that these images were created for advertising and marketing purposes and were exclusively owned by Louis Vuitton as contractual works. There were concerns about the authenticity of the products sold by the defendants. Although the infringing images had been removed from the website, the plaintiff sought costs.

The Court emphasized that the case focused solely on the misuse of copyrighted images, not on the authenticity of the products sold. It granted an injunction against the defendants from using the plaintiff’s photographs, images, and promotional material. The defendants were also prohibited from dealing in new products of the plaintiff without written consent, although they could continue selling pre-owned goods. The Court directed that the defendants must clearly label these items as certified pre-owned on their website. The defendants are required to pay ₹5,00,000 directly to Louis Vuitton in France as per the plaintiff's request.