I was very intrigued by the fact that Target was knowingly selling and importing lead based paint covered toys. I come to find out this week that Target is being sued for selling Coach purses.
A complaint was filed last week by Coach because Target apparently copied two designs that Coach was using. These two designs were the Ergo fold-over handbag and the Signature Patchwork line.
The purses/bags that Target were selling were either very similar in design to what Coach or exactly like the design that Coach uses. The store started selling the product this summer. Out of this whole situation, Coach is looking for injunctive relief as well as attorney's fees. In their list of complaints, Coach also mentioned that they want Target to stop selling the bags.
Jana O'Leary, a Target spokeswoman said that they are looking into the situation and they always try to respect the legal rights of others' property.
Leave it to Target, but this wasn't the only battle between the two. Coach had once again sued Target for Target using another one of Coach's bags back in 2006. Not only that, but Target has also seen some roundabouts for having complications with Lucky Brand Dungarees and Williams Sonoma.
Wow, way to go Target!
It was interesting to see the comments that were left on the site as well. Somebody said how they make six figures and it is alright that Target sell a product similar to Coach because Coach is well liked and not everybody is able to afford Coach.
When taking a look at the Coach website, these items are pretty pricey. One of the new items alone cost around $800! So maybe this lady saying that Target should be able to sell something of similar product is right? Maybe Target should be able to sell a product that looks similar to another item, but not neccessarily exactly like another one. What a crazy situation.
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Funny, this blog made me want to rush to Target and find one of these bags before they can't sell them anymore! I wonder if Coach was successful in their first lawsuit and how they will do on this one. I would think that the bag would have to be exactly the same to really make a good argument. If it weren't for places like Target and Wal-Mart emulating pricier designs, I wouldn't be able to dress as nicely! I guess I thought this was sort of common practice, kind of like trying to find Mossimo jeans that look a bit like Silvers to save some moola....
ReplyDeleteI don't think Target is the only company to immitate a designer brand's products. I've seen Coach-looking items in other stores, too. I've seen bags with O's all over them instead of C's. I would probably never buy a Coach bag just because of their high price, but I still don't think that Target has the right to copy their design.
ReplyDeleteI hope I’m not jinxing myself by writing this, but why is Coach suing Target? They can’t honestly think that Target is the only store/sweat shop copying their product designs, can they?! Perhaps they are hoping to make an example out of Target in an attempt to quell any other copies?
ReplyDeleteI’ll be honest; I have several Coach and Burberry handbags, none of which were purchased from a Coach or Burberry store for hundreds of dollars. Rather, they were purchased from a website for about $20-$30 apiece. Unless you are a purse connoisseur, you would never be able to tell the difference between my $20 Coach bag and the $800 Coach bag at Herberger’s.
That's weird that they are suing Target over the fact that the bags look similar. I thought the whole point of stores like Target and Wal-Mart was to make cheaper models of what bigger stores are producing. Of course, some of the quality is lost, but if you're not sure about something you want to buy, Target is a good place to try something out without putting too big of a dent in your wallet.
ReplyDeleteAnd, as other people have stated, Target isn't the only store to copy bigger names' ideas. Maybe the Target bags were having too big of an impact on the Coach bag sales, and Coach decided to crack down.
My first thought is “so what’s the big deal?” Why can’t a store sell a similar product at a lower price so long as it doesn’t label the item as Coach? If you go to New York street vendors are selling similar products for less than what Target is getting - although I think that Target probably sells a better quality product.
ReplyDeleteThe key to product / business success is to either invent a new product or service to market to consumers or take a current product and enhance it then market it as better / less expensive. This is exactly what Target did – Good for them.
As much as I shop at Target, the store has a habit of driving me crazy. I know this is not the first time they have been surrounded by controversy. There have been instances over the years in which they have gained negative publicity for not supporting the troops and not allowing their employees to say Merry Christmas. I understand that not everyone celebrates Christmas but if they are going to sell the items in their store, I really don’t see a problem with the employees saying it.
ReplyDeleteAlicia -
ReplyDeleteVery intersting story! I absolutely love shopping at Target, and I've always wanted to own a Coach purse. Hearing that the bags they sell are copies of the Coach bag is very surprising. I think that selling those similar bags is nice for those of us that can't afford the real thing. On the other end, Coach does have a right to have a say in the matter because they did design the bags in the first place. Copies of clothing and bags seem to pop in many stores, so I can't imagine that it doesn't happen.