Ivanka Trump Being Sued For Stealing Shoe Designs – See The Side By Side Comparisons

[liberal N proud]

Melania Trump isn’t the only one in her family being accused of stealing ideas from other people, i.e. her speech which turned out to be extremely similar to Michelle Obama’s own speech at the DNC from 2008.

Ivanka Trump is now being accused of copying shoe designs from luxury footwear label Aquazzura, and they’re filing a trademark lawsuit against her for it. They claim she is guilty of “repeated infringement” and “deceptive trade practices.” Several of their top designs were copied, they claim.

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There's more:
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http://news.groopspeak.com/ivanka-trump-being-sued-for-stealing-shoe-designs-see-the-side-by-side-comparisons/

[B Calm]

1. They look different to me.

[rateyes]

2. Ruh roh.

[brush]

3. What's up with that family, first speeches, now shoes?

[Bernardo de La Paz]

5. I doubt any one of them has had an original thought in their lifetimes.

Donald Trump recycles talking points and slogans and washed up Happy Days stars.

[spooky3]

25. Hey! Baio was the star of Charles in Charge.

Last edited Fri Jul 22, 2016, 03:51 PM - Edit history (1)

[puffy socks]

28. Actually

It was first shoes then the speech.

It makes all the difference.

[brush]

31. Heehee! Are you saying the daughter's pilfering influenced the mother-in-law?

[puffy socks]

32. If the shoe fits

[dhol82]

4. The trump designs look like

they are designed for low cost knock-off manufacture.
Probably made in China or Vietnam.

[Botany]

6. This is a family thing .... Trump stole "Make America Great Again" from Reagan

If we’re talking about aggravated theft of speech lines, the crime wave did not just begin.

The current outbreak of Trump-related larceny began Nov. 19, 2012, two weeks after President Barack Obama was re-elected by 5 million votes.

On paperwork filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, an attorney for Donald Trump reserved a name for a political action committee: “Make America Great Again.”

Nobody noticed. But the slogan of President Ronald Reagan’s come-from-behind 1980 victory campaign became the personal property of a New York developer in only his third year back in the Republican Party.

Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/opinion/opn-columns-blogs/bud-kennedy/article90636182.html#storylink=cpy

[liberal N proud]

8. And we all know how that Reagan thing worked out

Still fucked because of that one.

[merrily]

7. Cut it out, right now. Ivanka's line is simply an "homage" to the Aquazzura line.

Just so I don't get accused of plagiarism or copyright infringement, a few nights ago, Rachel Maddow suggested that calling Melania Trump's speech an "homage" to Michelle Obama's might be a way out of the plagiarism charges without actually copping to cribbing. (I don't agree with Maddow on that at all. Hence, this post.)

[JudyM]

29. Re: Michelle's speech: it's only an homage if she's credited by Melania - unless the phrases were

easily recognizable as Michelle's; not.

Tsk, tsk, Rachel!

[Hortensis]

33. Well, Ivanka's "homage" or whatever it was

to the other manufacturer seems to have been excessive. Given the limited number of popular colors and whatevers in any one year, and the reality that there will inevitably be many similar iterations, this could probably have been entirely avoided by simply paying homage to 1 design from each of 3 different manufacturers.

[bucolic_frolic]

9. It's all an opportunistic marketing empire

that moves from one object to the next, no organic development of
product or in-house ideas, no real need for deep expertise, just make
a killing then on to the next. One deal after another.

[Dustlawyer]

13. Maybe Trump did take an active role in raising his kids?

Certainly is favorite "Hot" daughter Ivanka. She seems to be a chip off of the old block head!

[brush]

34. Yep! They put the Trump name on shoes, steaks, hotels, vitamins, scam universities . . .

skim money off the top until scam runs out and on to the next one.

[bucolic_frolic]

35. I know common folk like that

always peddling something, the next Multi Level Marketing scam

In this business, out of that business

I even met a guy like that who called himself CEO, but traveled
by bus on public transit because of DUI convictions!

[Ilsa]

10. Dreadful shoes, designed

to give the wearer foot and back problems. There are other stylish choices that aren't damaging to one's health.

I'm beginning to wonder if there shouldn't be some sort of professional guide to making shoes that don't cripple women, that could be used like a certification.

[IronLionZion]

11. This is their Trump family values

There's nothing original about them at all. They make America copy someone else again while they take the credit.

Experienced professionals don't want to work with him.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/21/us/politics/melania-trump-speech-meredith-mciver.html

[Vinca]

12. The only difference I can see is the removal of a cross strap on the top shoe.

The second and third styles are nearly identical. IMO, the one thing they really have in common is they all look terribly uncomfortable to wear.

[Il_Coniglietto]

26. Cross strap is there too.

There's a better photo here: http://www.vogue.co.uk/news/2016/06/23/aquazzura-sues-ivanka-trump-shoe-designs

Ivanka learned from the best how to scam, cheat and steal.

[lillypaddle]

14. Knockoffs

absolutely.

[The Wielding Truth]

20. Yep. Knockoffs. Not just one but three.

[sinkingfeeling]

15. The heels are different heights.

[grossproffit]

23. The design aspect (shape, fringed toe, tassel) are in question, not the heel height.

[sinkingfeeling]

24. Just pointing out the only differences.

[barbtries]

16. based on those pictures she's guilty as hell

they may not be identical but certainly they are copies

[brush]

36. What is it with these rich people, not enough money?

Jerry Seinfeld's wife did a similar thing, she ripped off a cookbook and publishing it as her own.

[barbtries]

38. not enough imagination

too much greed and entitlement.
i guess, i mean i don't get it!

[Her Sister]

17. She loves Aquazzura shoes!

The family is only good at lending out their "prestigious" last name! and saying how great they are!

[mainstreetonce]

18. You know who would look great in those shoes?

Meredith McIver

[whistler162]

22. I was thinking Rudi Guilliani!

[Native]

19. Read this a while back. She's not concerned about the suits, says the designs are basically generic.

WTF?

[Bernardo de La Paz]

27. The elements are generic, but the combinations are specific. She copied them. . . . nt

[Native]

30. I was just pointing out how she, like her entire family, finds no issue with stealing from others

To her, lawsuits are just another cost of doing business. One look at the pictures makes it abundantly clear that these are copies.

[Ms. Toad]

21. Clearly copies - but she'll get away with it.

Unfortunately, copyright law treats virtually all clothing as functional (and not subject to protection under the copyright laws).

That's why the suit is being pursued under trademark law - which is not well a good match for preventing copying products. Trademarks are source identifiers. None of the shoe designs are registered as trade dress (they likely wouldn't qualify), so they are pursuing it under common law trade dress - a much much harder case to prove (since it is usually the route taken by marks/dress that are not eligible to be registered (presumptively not eligible for protection), and have to acquire trademark protection by being so wildly and universally recognized as identifying Aquzzura as the source of the product).

Stinks. And I don't agree that that crap is "functional," so it should be eligible for protection under the copyright law. But it isn't - so (for the most part) Ivanka can legally copy clothing design.

At least the suit shines the light of day on what she is doing.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

37. Clearly, those shoes could have been designed by a My Little Pony. nt