Vetements takes trademark fight to US Supreme Court

French fashion brand Vetements has turned to the US Supreme Court with a request to review a trademark case. The company is challenging a decision by a lower court that rejected its trademark application for the name ‘Vetements’.

At the crux of the issue is the question of whether the brand name, which means ‘clothing’ in French, can be trademarked in the US. The company argues the legal system is wrong to rely on the English translation of a foreign word to determine if it can be trademarked.

Vetements’ initial application was denied by the US trademark office because the word was considered too generic for a clothing brand. A US appeals court agreed with the ruling, determining that enough Americans would understand the word’s French meaning.

In response, Vetements says that judging a non-English trademark by its translation is unfair and doesn’t reflect how consumers actually perceive the brand. The company believes a brand name should be judged on its own merit, not just its literal translation.

The brand also points out that different courts in the US have conflicting views on the issue, making the case suitable for the Supreme Court to clarify. By taking up the case, the Supreme Court could establish a clear rule for how foreign words are handled in US trademark law.