Court bars Collezione from selling Universal designs
Orders infringing furniture impounded, destroyed
Heath E. Combs -- Furniture Today, December 11, 2007
HIGH POINT — A federal court has barred Collezione Europa from selling two collections that were earlier ruled to infringe on Universal Furniture copyrights.
On Nov. 30, U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina issued a permanent injunction restricting Collezione Europa from imitating or copying designs from Universal’s Grand Inheritance and English Manor collections, introduced in 2001 and 2002.
It also prevented Collezione from distributing furniture in its 20000 or 20200 collections, except chairs and rectangular tables in the 20000 collection. The court ordered the infringing items impounded and destroyed.
“We are pleased that the Court has once again ruled in our favor and unequivocally ordered Collezione to not only stop marketing and selling its infringing furniture but also to impound the infringing furniture,” said Universal CEO Randy Chrisley.
In September, the court found Collezione Europa guilty of copyright infringement for representing Universal product as its own during the October 2004 High Point Market.
Collezione claimed that the furniture couldn’t be copyrighted because its design elements were taken from the public domain, among other points in its defense. The court ruled that the pieces met the threshold for originality and held that Universal owns valid copyrights.
Legal counsel for Collezione Europa said earlier that it expected the court’s decision to be reversed on appeal after damages were issued. Furniture/Today was unable to reach Collezione Europa officials and legal counsel for comment this week.
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