Cartier has filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against Jacob the Jeweler, alleging that the designer acquired genuine Cartier watches, added diamonds to them and then sold the altered watches without Cartier's authorization.

The suit, filed Nov. 19 in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, says that while Cartier reserves its diamond settings for white or yellow gold watches, Jacob the Jeweler added the diamonds to Cartier watches made of stainless steel or other cheaper metals. The complaint,
which names designer Jacob Arabov and his companies, Jacob the Jeweler Inc. and Jacob & Company Watches, claims that the diamonds were added to the watches in “direct imitation of the placement of diamonds by Cartier on the equivalent genuine versions of such models,” and then sold to the general public with the Cartier trademark still intact.

This creates a likelihood of confusion among people who receive the altered watches as gifts, which “cannot properly be called 'Cartier' watches,” the complaint states.

According to the lawsuit, the drilling of diamond settings on the watch cases, bezel and or band “may affect and has affected” the core functions of the watch movement, water-resistance of the case and wear of the bracelet.

Cartier estimates alleged damages to be in excess of $50,000, and seeks an injunction to prevent Jacob the Jeweler from selling altered watches with Cartier's name on them in the future.

A representative from Jacob & Company Watches could not immediately be reached for comment Tuesday.


Source : National Jeweler Daily News

www.nationaljeweler.com

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