Name dispute: Luxury label Dior files lawsuit against porn star

Published on: November 16, 2022Categories: LegalTags: , Reading time: 2 min.
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Christina Schröder writes about legal topics for the Love & Law blog at Recht 24/7.

Dior versus Dior - the French fashion brand Christian Dior recently sued a porn actress of the same name. Erotic star Gigi Dior had the prominent name trademarked last year and is now facing a lawsuit for damage to her reputation.

It is nothing new for public figures to have their names protected by copyright. But in the case of erotic actress Gigi Dior, this now has legal consequences. The reason: French luxury brand Christian Dior fears damage to its reputation and has filed a lawsuit in the USA.

If you google "Dior", you get naked skin

The porn actress has already starred in seven erotic films and regularly lolls in front of the webcam for her fans. The 40-year-old US-American is correspondingly popular on the internet. So popular, in fact, that the results of a "Dior" search on Google list less haute couture and more naked skin. This is unacceptable for the French company.

Likelihood of confusion causes possible damage to reputation

All forms of service offered by Gigi Dior are opposed, according to the complaint. From "personal appearances under the name Gigi Dior" to "a website with graphic content from the erotic sector". And further: "The risk of confusion could lead to confusion among customers and thus to a loss of image for the trademark ".

Gigi Dior finds lawsuit "silly"

Gigi Dior herself is not aware of any guilt. "This is ridiculous. My name has nothing to do with fashion. What I do doesn't normally require clothing," she told the New York Post. However, the porn star does fear the consequences of the lawsuit. "If I lose my name, it would be devastating. I would have to rename everything and start from scratch," said Dior. The US-American has until November 17th to make a statement. The court will then decide to what extent the porn actress is actually damaging the fashion manufacturer's reputation with her internet presence.