Kate Spade Slapped With $1 Million Copyright Lawsuit

by Jada Wong | 4:59 pm, July 6th, 2012

Kate Spade has been served with a $1 million-plus lawsuit for allegedly copying late designer Vera Neumann‘s designs.

On Tuesday, Neumann’s estate filed a suit in Manhattan claiming that Spade copied her famous 1979 “poppy field” design. For context, Neumann’s print is shown on the left, while Spade’s is on the right.

Page Six points out that Spade raved about Neumann’s floral prints in her 2004 tome Style by Kate Spade: “When Vera made scarves, there was nothing cutesy about them. They always made you feel happy.” Neumann’s estate alleges that Spade took the inspiration too literally:

“Kate Spade has indicated, at least several years ago, that among the items and products that have inspired her designs are the silk-screened scarves of Vera.”

The estate is reportedly asking for an excess of $1 million plus interest, which includes all the profits from Spade’s sale of infringing items and the cost of legal fees. They also want Spade to turn over the remaining stock of infringing products and the equipment used to make the design. Reps for Spade have not yet commented on the suit.

[Page Six, The Fashion Law]

LJW

Of course, in 2004, Kate Spade was still a part of the company. Presumably, this is an entirely different design team and that print seems fairly different. It’s an abstract poppy flower, big whoop.
Missy B

I don’t think that poppies were an original creative thought by Vera. So no one can do poppies for 75 years or until whenever Vera’s copyright ends? Vera’s estate cannot own a trademark on a flower that has been in existence long before any of us were on this earth.

And I see numerous differences in the two prints: (1) Vera’s are grouped, Kate’s are single objects, (2) the leaves are different (3) the poppies are different: Vera’s are circular, Kate’s are more angular.

I think we have lawyer who didn’t do their homework and is trying to make a name for him/herself: Kate Spade herself left the company (in 2006?), well after the book was written. The lawyer ” obviously copied” some other lawsuit in which these same claims were made and is trying to make them fit to this case.

Prediction: the case is bounced by the court. But time will tell.
Anonymous

This is misleading!!!This is NOT the design in the suit. It is a purple and pink allover print that she copied and it was on her dresses and phone covers last year. Get the right design and you will see. But this shows that she does like Vera!
Designgirl414

This is the link to the actual print (http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/img-thing?.out=jpg&size=l&tid=28944815) and it is an almost exact replica of a Vera print. It is not the same as the poppies above.
jes

I want to see a comparison of the actual prints in question.
Anneka

How ridiculous. They don’t own the image of a poppy. If I see an image of poppies and it inspires me to also paint poppies, they doesn’t mean I’ve copied them. These two images (pictured) look nothing alike to me at all.

Kate Spade Slapped With $1 Million Copyright Lawsuit

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