Battle For An Iconic Logo: Lacoste v. Crocodile

Illustrious tennis player René Lacoste was famously regarded as 'Le Crocodile' – an association he extended to his sportswear brand 'Chemise Lacoste'. Shirts featuring an embroidered crocodile symbol were first introduced in France in 1927 and marked the origin of clothing brand Lacoste's popular logo . Registrations for the crocodile device and word mark LACOSTE were subsequently sought in several jurisdictions. In India, Lacoste obtained a registration for the crocodile device and logo mark together (No. 400265) as well as the crocodile device by itself (No. 400267) in 1983 in class 25. Use began a decade later in October 1993. The crocodile device was also registered as an artistic work under the Indian copyright statute (No. 62692/2002).