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Hangover II Lawsuit Teaches a Valuable Lesson About Product Placement

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The Hangover: Part II continues to face legal problems; this time over its use of a knock-off designer bag. Louis Vuitton filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against Warner Bros. after the company refused to have DVD copies of the film altered to remove the offending scene.

As detailed in its New York entertainment lawsuit, the luxury handbag company claims that the Hangover: Part II features one of the characters using a fake Louis Vuitton bag manufactured by a Chinese company called Diophy. In the scene, Zach Galifianakis’ eccentric character, Alan, warns another character to stay away from his bag, “Careful, that is … that is a Louis Vuitton.” For comedic effect, he mispronounces the name of the brand.

Unfortunately for Warner Brothers, Louis Vuitton isn’t laughing. The company has asserted claims for trademark dilution, false designation of origin, and unfair competition. According to the complaint, Warner Bros. is “explicitly misleading the public about the source of the Diophy Bag.”


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Published In: Art, Entertainment & Sports Law Updates

DISCLAIMER: Because of the generality of this update, the information provided herein may not be applicable in all situations and should not be acted upon without specific legal advice based on particular situations.

© Anthony Caruso, Scarinci Hollenbeck | Attorney Advertising

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