Translated by
Nicola Mira
Published
Jun 3, 2020
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Danish label Rains wins court case against Inditex in Denmark

Translated by
Nicola Mira
Published
Jun 3, 2020

In mid-May, a Danish court issued a ruling which felt special for Daniel Brix Hesselager. The co-founder of rainwear label Rains, based in Aarhus, Denmark, was personally involved in the judicial battle engaged by Rains to denounce the copying of some of its best-selling models.


Rains used a video clip to compare an anorak model by Zara, left, with one of its own - Rains


The target of Rains’s legal case was none less than Inditex, accused of replicating two Rains anoraks, the Parka Coat and the Long Jacket, alleged copies of which were commercialised by Zara in 2016. “Our investment in this legal case was not so much prompted by a desire for financial compensation, it was rather a mission we undertook to set a precedent in the industry,” said Rains.

The Danish label has won the court case. The amount that Inditex will have to pay Rains in compensation for the damage it suffered on the Danish market has not yet been calculated. Emboldened by the ruling, Rains is now considering challenging the Spanish apparel giant on other markets too. However, what matters to Rains is something else.

“Above all, we want to show that the industry's globalised giants cannot steal other labels’ designs and trample their rights with impunity, as though it was a key element in their business model. We are aware that many professionals, both within and outside the fashion industry, have been waiting for the outcome of this legal case to potentially follow in our footsteps. We would like to encourage more companies to fight this battle,” stated Rains.

At the start of 2020, US brand Amiri challenged Zara in court, accusing the Spanish fashion retailer of copying one of its biker-style jeans models.






 

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