Louis Vuitton targets Hong Kong hair salon

Louis Vuitton is accusing a Hong Kong hair salon of infringing its trademark by using its pattern on chairs, local media reports.

After learning of the chairs, Louis Vuitton demanded HK$25,000 ($3,200) from the owner of the salon, only to halve its request when the man said he was unable to pay. Louis Vuitton is pushing for compensation and a public apology.

The owner is struggling to raise the funds though, South China Morning Post reports. “I can’t go against such a big corporation. Right now I’m just hoping they will be generous and make me compensate a smaller amount. Worse case scenario, I could just close down,” the owner said.

Louis Vuitton has actively protected its designs, issuing 30,000 anti-counterfeiting suits last year, and has succeeded in having the chairs removed from the salon. The owner said he bought the furniture locally for HK$1,200 last year, and was unaware the design infringed on trademarks.