Jo Malone expressed shock and sadness after being sued for more than £200,000 in damages over the use of her name on perfumes for Zara, with Estee Lauder Limited taking legal action against her for alleged trademark infringement. Court documents revealed Jo Malone Ltd and Estee Lauder expect to recover more than £200,000 in damages from the case. This legal dispute stems from a long business history between the parties.
C, Bobbi Brown, Estee Lauder, and Jo Malone London, having acquired Jo Malone's perfume empire for millions in 1999. Jo Malone has since called selling her business to Estee Lauder the 'worst decision of my life' because it blocked her from using her name for commercial reasons. After her non-compete clause expired in 2011, she launched her own business called Jo Loves, which now finds itself at the center of the current controversy.
My name is Jo Malone. I am the person, the fragrance creator, the entrepreneur, the cancer survivor, the person.
The lawsuit was triggered by a collaboration between Jo Loves and Zara, where Jo Loves sells £35 perfumes through the partnership. ' According to Jo Malone, the reason Estee Lauder brought the High Court case is because of her creative work with Zara, which began seven years ago when Zara approached her personally. In her public defense, Jo Malone posted an emotional video on social media, stating that the claim isn't just against her, but against Zara as well.
She added that she and her team have gone 'above and beyond' to ensure the Zara collaboration is distinguished from Jo Malone London the company. Legal proceedings are now underway, with Jo Malone stating she is 'putting together our defence,' which will become 'public knowledge' once handed in. She said she will defend her position and innocence in court if necessary, but hopes sense will prevail.
Where do we go from here? If I can't be me, who on earth am I meant to be for the rest of my life?
Meanwhile, a spokesman for Estee Lauder previously stated that Malone agreed to clear contractual terms that included refraining from using the Jo Malone name in certain commercial contexts, including the marketing of fragrances in the 1999 sale. The exact contractual terms from that sale at issue in the lawsuit remain unspecified, and Zara's official response or position regarding the lawsuit has not been disclosed. Additionally, the precise legal basis for Estee Lauder's trademark infringement claim is unclear, as are the deadline for Jo Malone to submit her defence and potential outcomes or settlements being considered.
I am sure many of you are aware, several weeks ago, the Estee Lauder companies actually issued High Court proceedings against me. I never expected to receive a High Court claim with my name on it. Truly I was, and am, in this minute very surprised and very sad.
This claim isn't just against me, it's against Zara as well. The reason they have brought this High Court case is because of my creative work with Zara.
Seven years ago I started to work with Zara. They approached me. They didn't approach a company, they didn't approach a brand, they didn't approach a logo. They approached me: Jo Malone, the person, and asked whether I would start working with them and create beautiful fragrances that everyone could wear in the world.
We have gone above and beyond, and above and beyond again, to make sure everyone understands this has nothing to do with Jo Malone London the company, this is very much Jo Malone. By using Ms, Jo Malone CBE, Jo Malone creative director of Jo Loves, we've literally done as much as we possibly can to ensure, we've trained the staff, everything. What more could we do, what more could I do?
If necessary, I will defend my position and my innocence in court, although, because this is the person I am, I hope sense will prevail, and we will find a new and different way of being able