Check Mate! Louis Vuitton Defends Its Chequerboard Pattern For The Second Time

This isn't the first time Louis Vuitton has had to defend a challenge in the EU against the validity of its Damier "chequerboard" pattern. In 2015, two of Louis Vuitton's registrations were cancelled: the brown and beige and the light and dark grey colour combinations respectively. Both were found to be a commonplace, decorative pattern that were not capable of being perceived as a trade mark. Louis Vuitton's argument that the sign had been used extensively throughout the EU, and consumers had been educated to see it as a trade mark, was also rejected. In 2020, Louis Vuitton was back in the General Court defending its Damier pattern again, in a colour named Azur. So what's different this time?