Coach Dismisses Old Navy-Centered Trademark Case Against Gap

Meghan Hall
·2 min read

Coach and its parent company Tapestry have voluntarily dismissed a trademark infringement lawsuit they brought against Gap last month.

The complaint alleged Gap had infringed on the brand’s trademarks by printing T-shirts bearing the word “Coach” for its Old Navy brand.

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The shirts at the center of the complaint, Coach said at the time, were “intended to cause, have caused, and are likely to continue to cause confusion, mistake and deception among consumers, the public and the trade as to whether defendants’ accused products originate from, or are affiliated with, sponsored by or endorsed by Coach.”

It further went on to say Gap had used Coach’s trademark without permission, which it asserted harmed the company because the trademarks are “some of its most valuable assets.”

The company stated in court documents that about $4 billion in annual sales volume comes from products emblazoned with the Coach logo.

In the original complaint, Coach had sought injunctive and financial relief—meaning that Gap would have been enjoined from selling the products in question, or products like it, and that it would have owed Coach all the profits it had made off those specific shirts.

But it appears the two companies have settled their differences outside of court. Gap never filed a response to Coach’s complaint, per court records.

The Fashion Law reported in April that, if Coach and Tapestry had pursued the lawsuit in court, it may have struggled to prove Gap had intended to infringe, since the name associated with its trademark is not a proper noun and, accordingly, is often associated with the coach of a sports team.

Coach closed the lawsuit on Tuesday, just over six weeks after filing it on April 3.

Neither Gap nor Coach returned Sourcing Journal’s requests for comments on the dismissal.