Imagine you’re a business owner with a brand built on your own name. And yet you’re not allowed to use that name to market new products. That’s the case for fashion designer Joseph Abboud. On Thursday a judge issued a permanent injunction barring the designer from putting his name on a new men’s clothing line.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Theodore Katz ruled that since Abboud sold the marketing rights to his name in 2000, he no longer has the right to use the name in any context while marketing a rival clothing line. “Abboud sold, conveyed, transferred, assigned, and delivered to JA Apparel all of his right, title, and interest to the use of his personal name, in addition to the trademarks, trade names, and designations containing his name, for commercial purposes.”
