The Trial Date for the Ivanka Trump-Aquazzura Sandal Trademark Battle Has Been Set
Back in 2016, Aquazzura announced that it was taking Ivanka Trump to court over a trademarked fringe sandal — and now, a New York judge has set a trial date for March.
The court date would come exactly two years after luxury shoe company Aquazzura accused Ivanka Trump, who now serves as an adviser to President Donald Trump, of copying several of its shoe designs on Instagram, Bloomberg reports. New York District Judge Katherine Forrest set the trial date for March 2018.
In June 2016, Aquazzura filed a lawsuit against Ivanka Trump at New York’s District Court. In the lawsuit, the company accused Trump of copying Aquazzura’s “Wild Thing” fringe sandal and “Forever Marilyn” pump for her own line of footwear.
The “Wild Thing” fringe sandals, which Aquazzura co-founder Edgardo Osorio frequently named as his most iconic item, sells for $785 while Trump’s Hettie sandal sold for $65 before the company pulled it from shelves.
While Trump’s legal team argued that Trump should not have to testify because she had nothing to do with the design of the shoe, the same judge ruled that she would need to testify in June 2017.
In a May 2016 Footwear News cover story, Aquazzura co-founder Edgardo Osorio referenced an Instagram post in which he accused Trump of knocking off one his designs.
“I have nothing against Ivanka Trump. It’s not only her, and I’m glad to do other posts,” Osorio told the publication. “[…] Even some of my direct competitors are copying me.”
While previous cases were settled out of court, Trump has also been accused of copying other shoe designs by Derek Lam and California-based shoe company Mystique. In the past, Aquazzura has also accused shoe designer Steve Madden of copying the same shoe style for its brand.
Trump’s case, however, will rest on whether Aquazzura lawyers can prove that the “Wild Thing” sandal is distinctive enough that copying it is a trademark violation.
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