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Jun 6, 2020
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Philipp Plein hopes to end Ferrari lawsuit with 220,000 euros donation to Gianna Floyd Foundation

Published
Jun 6, 2020

Philipp Plein has announced plans to donate 220,000 euros to the Gianna Floyd Foundation, in an attempt to end a copyright infringement suit with Ferrari.
 

The initial photo which caused the Ferrari/Plein lawsuit - Philipp Plein - Philipp Plein



‘’Since over two years, Ferrari SPA pursued a legal battle against me asking for a monetary compensation. Initially, they requested 2 million Euros and now, after a strenuous negotiation, we went down to 200.000 Euros….  Instead of continuing this useless litigation, I have asked my lawyer to settle the fight in order to make a contribution of 200.000 US dollars to the Official Gianna Floyd fund, which is for the benefit of the daughter of the late George Floyd or to the Black Lives Matter Fund,” said the German designer.
 
The proposal stems from a lawsuit that began back in August 2019 and was issued by the Italian brand against Plein, after he had posted multiple images on his Instagram account of his own sneakers on top of the hood of his own personal supercar, where the Ferrari logo is highly visible. Ferrari argued that Plein was attempting to harness its iconic imagery to advance his own brand.

Plein responded by calling Ferrari’s actions “blackmail” and asking his followers to also place photos of their sneakers on luxury cars. Later on, he made a slideshow of the images his followers sent him.
 
Given the positioning of Plein’s brand next to the Ferrari logo in the photo, most legal experts felt the Italian marque had a strong case.
 
However, in his latest move, which is written as a Personal Statement from Lugano, Switzerland, Plein argues that given the “tragic events all over the world I feel completely inappropriate to fight over such irrelevant matters. Neither Ferrari SPA nor me REALLY need those money (sic).”
 
For this reason, the designer claims: “I truly hope that Ferrari SPA will agree on this action towards a cause I have at heart since always. I am suggesting this solution to support the black community and not to promote myself or my brand.”
 
“I’ve been the first designer who held a fashion show with an entirely black casting back in 2013 during Milan Fashion Week,” Plein adds. Editors that have attended shows and presentations by the likes of such greats as Albert Elbaz for Lanvin and Yves Saint Laurent will differ.  
 
Ferrari did return calls for comment.
 
“Over the years I worked with the most important black talents such as 50 cent, Snoop Dog, Naomi, Tyga and many more. We must take actions immediately instead of wasting time and energy in such an absurd useless fight, I officially ask Ferrari SPA to come together to make a difference. Said this, even if Ferrari SPA won’t agree with my request, I will still make a personal donation in order to support such an important cause,” he concluded about the planned donation – or a donation one tenth of what Ferrari demanded in court.
 
 

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