November 2018. Burberry has withdrawn its opposition to the copying of its products by fashion rival Target. The British designer filed its complaint with the New York district court in May this year, but at the end of September the litigants announced they had settled out of court.

Burberry (left) and Target (right) Burberry (left) and Target (right)

USD 2 million per shawl

Burberry’s accusations were clear enough: Target was quite simply copying its products, thereby infringing the trademark rights of its distinctive signature check print. The UK firm demanded that all the copycat items be destroyed and that Target pay it USD 2 million in damages for each product sold.

Burberry (left) and Target (right) Burberry (left) and Target (right)

Settlement preferable to dispute

Five months on, the two companies have issued a joint statement declaring that they’ve reached an amicable settlement. An out of court settlement is naturally always preferable to a dispute. They’ve not disclosed the precise terms of the agreement, but given the similarity between the two check patterns, you can be sure Target’s been forced into a major climb-down and that we won’t be seeing those products on the market anymore.