Selling copycat Teddy Ralph Lauren accused of infringement

Beijing Business Daily (Reporter Li Duo, Intern reporter Wang Wei) The American luxury goods group Ralph Lauren Corp. (hereinafter referred to as the Ralph Lauren Group) was sued for infringement. The group was recently sued by toy manufacturer Alvin u0026 Sparky LLC, claiming that the brand was suspected of infringing intellectual property rights and selling supplier products at low prices.　　 The toy manufacturer has been a supplier to the Ralph Lauren Group since 2001, providing the latter with plush toy teddy bears made of Scottish cashmere. Two toy teddy bears are priced at US$195 and US$170, respectively. Starting in September 2013, the Ralph Lauren Group has sold teddy bear toys that are imitations of the brand, priced as low as US$24.5-49.5.　　 In addition, Ralph Lauren Group also applied the toy manufacturer’s teddy bear toy design to the cashmere tops and trousers of boys’ clothing, and sold them in the United States’ top high-end department stores. This is not the first time the Ralph Lauren Group has been accused of plagiarism. In October 2014, Converse had sued it for the theft of the iconic sneaker design. Subsequently, the Ralph Lauren Group destroyed the products involved.　　 Fortune Quality Research Institute Director Zhou Ting said that plagiarism will seriously affect the brand image. Poor brand management has led to insufficient research and development capabilities, and rapid industry digestion is also part of the reason for plagiarism. Independent clothing analyst Ma Gang said: Shanzhai is more common in the field of clothing accessories. This shows that the market for brand authorization is large, and companies should use other brand products through cooperation.