This month, French luxury fashion house Christian Dior was denied trademark protection for the shape of its well-known “Saddle Bag” purse in the European Union. The Saddle Bag, which Dior originally debuted in its Spring/Summer 2000 collection, exploded in popularity after its re-release in 2018. The luxury community quickly dubbed the iconic bag a Dior classic, and it topped the list of hottest women’s fashion products in the third quarter of 2018.[1]
Nevertheless, the European Union Intellectual Property Office (“EUIPO”) refused to register the shape of the Saddle Bag as a trademark. In denying the application, the EUIPO stated that the mark “lack[s] distinctive character” and “does not, as a whole, deviate significantly from the norm or customs of the leather goods sector.”
In the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”), Dior has pending Trademark Application Serial No. 90/635,020 which covers the shape of the flap or top portion of the Saddle Bag. The USPTO approved the application for publication in July.
[1] Q3 2018, The Lyst Index (https://www.lyst.com/the-lyst-index/2018/q3/) (last accessed Sept. 28, 2022 at 11:25 AM).