Korean Restaurant Uses the ‘Louis Vuitton’ Name to Sell Fried Chicken, Gets Fined $12,750

Louis Vuitton is going after a South Korean food joint that used its name in vain to sell fried chicken.

The founder of “Louis Vuitton Dak,” a South Korean fried chicken restaurant, is being slammed with a $12,750 fine by the district court to be paid to luxury designer brand Louis Vuitton.

The owner, who is identified by his surname Kim, had previously chosen not to adhere to an earlier court ruling that prohibited him from using Louis Vuitton’s brand name. The Korea Times reported that the logo for “Louis Vuitton Dak” was also quite similar to that of the French designer’s. “Tondak” is Korean for “whole chicken.”

Incensed that Kim had used its trademark name, Louis Vuitton brought the issue to court in September of last year. The designer claimed that the “Louis Vuitton fried chicken” had violated the “Unfair Competition Prevention and Trade Secret Protection Act,” and in doing so, undervalued the brand’s status.

In October, the Seoul Central District Court took Louis Vuitton’s side and demanded Kim pay $440 to Louis Vuitton for every day he refused to comply with the ruling. Kim thought he could slide by changing the name of his fried chicken to “chaLOUISVUITONDAK,” but Louis Vuitton and the court weren’t fooled.

Now he’s being charged with a fine of $12,750 by Louis Vuitton for using their name for 29 days after the court ruled on Sunday that the new name was not significantly different enough.

Nice try dude.

h/t: Mashable

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