Adventures in Copyright
Adventures in Copyright: Barnes & Noble Spring 09
By Britt Aboutaleb
Someone at Barnes and Noble is a very big Louis Vuitton fan.
In fact, they’re such big fans that they’ve been waiting for almost four years to copy Louis Vuitton’s Resort 05 Globe Shopper Cabas tote bag.
The bookstore calls their khaki and forest green canvas version “The World’s Best Bookbag,” which is a more appropriate name, and tilts their inner square at an angle.
Other than that, they’ve placed zippers in the right places, made sure the handle has two colors, thrown buckles and rivets onto each side and included their address and birthday a la Vuitton.
They’ve even included a lifetime guarantee, which is so much more luxury leather brand than bookstore.
Overall, a pretty good and totally unnecessary rip-off.
Tags: Barnes & Noble, Louis Vuitton
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where does britt aboutaleb get her info? her post is very accusatory of b&n, outright alleging that the bookstore has been intentionally brainstorming how to rip-off louis vuitton.
with all due respect, i don’t think that the b&n bag is a rip off at all. i’m giving them the benefit of the doubt that their bag was not an intentional copy of a louis tote that wasn’t necessarily ingenious in the first place. it’s an old school looking canvas tote for crying out loud.
and really, b&n has been selling that tote for at least 6 months if not an entire year already. i’m curious why it’s being posted now, and not when it came it out. thanks!
I have to say… I agree #1 stephyfigz.
1. the LV bag isn’t exactly original
2. the B&N bag is much nicer
i like both bags. i don’t care if barnes & nobles ripped of Louis Vuitton. It’s a nice design.
the b & n bag has also been around for a really long time…havent you seen these on the subway?
You don’t think the B&N rip off is a rip off at all?? Are you on crack? It’s totally a knock off. Sure it’s a nice design but it’s still someone else’s.
Just because now everyone can go out and buy a “book bag” and pretend it’s Louis Vuitton canvas instead of B&N canvas doesn’t make it right.
So there.
I don’t think they look all that similar at all, and (for guest #6) I’m pretty sure I’d be able to tell that one of them is LV and the other one is B&N. Definitely nothing to start a lawsuit about.
dude, it’s a totally rip off, but i don’t think b&n waited 4 years. pretty sure i saw it there a few years ago.
I think it’s a coincidence, I mean several years after the fact, the shapes, buckles and colors are completely different, the B&N bag is slouchy for pete’s sake. However, if I saw the LV bag at a different angle, I might change my mind…
HAHA
the only reason i come to this blog is to read the comments about what the lovely readers say to the snobby, “fashion” bloggers!
go guest 1!
@10 – that might be the saddest thing i’ve ever heard. i hope you get a life soon.
where did britt aboutaleb go to college…fidm? someone needs to look up what copyright, ripoff and how to not get sued means before they get ripped a new one by b&n legal. Can Britt Aboutaleb also learn how to cite sources, cite photos, and i dont know…stop writing bullsh*t. PS. A lot of canvas bags are “lifetime guarantee” a la ll bean, because canvas bags shouldn’t rip.
the bags do look a lot alike, though when i was in school, i carried my books in a tote, and it messed up my back for years. use a backpack, word to the wise.
It´s a canvas bag with a logoed large square front pocket and side buckles. That is about all they got in common.
Different:
- Proportions totally different. The LV has got a square like type of proportions, with the pocket being nearly the same size of the bag, the BN no.
- LV is structured, flat bottomed. BN No.
- Thick dark bottom to BN ( good idea) with a trim making it two colored. LV no, single.
- LV has double buckles on the side. BN has got one pair of buckles.
- Fancy handles and buckles for the LV. The BN, no.
- circular logo on the LV. Square on the BN.
I am pretty sure people somewhere must have done some version of a bag like this before LV whateverline season whatever and will do versions again! There is sort of limited number of things to put in a practical bag.
i think it’s a pretty similar design, but there’s no way anyone’s going to confuse the two. definitely not a big deal. next.
no comment on the copyright issue, but i work at b&n and had to recently rearrange their totebag display and that bag is SO heavy. i think it’s incredibly impractical.
it’s a ripoff, of course they can’t completely copy it, that would be too much.
Guest number six, you’re a tool.
That bag has been around for forever. How ridiculous of anyone to think that the tote bag sold at a book store would be a knock off of a luxury label.
Stick to cracking down on Forever 21.
This simply looks like one of the dozens of variations of store-advertising-canvas-bags I’ve seen over the years, and only if one squints and turns a their head sideways does even the slightest copyright infringement occur.
I think its a practical and environmentally responsible alternative to their plastic bags, and I’d carry this to the grocery as well as the bookstore. Perhaps, Fashionista, you should consider which argument is more important: does it slightly look like a Louis Vuitton? Or is it an eco-conscious alternative to tons and tons of plastic?
Between your whining, pouting post over “Saks going downhill” (in the midst of a deep and serious economic recession, my little Marie Antoinette) and this, Britt you have officially entered spoiled brat territory.
As someone who works with intellectual property and copyright issues, I’m curious to know if you license every single one of those copyrighted photographs that you post from different fashion spreads.
No, I am NOT an attorney nor in any way affiliated with the fashion industry; my only interest is to see if a blog that dedicates a large portion of its posts to copyright issues actually follows those same laws.
It’s completely obvious that everyone who has commented are the “newcomers” and 12 year olds who come to the site because they saw it on their friend’s after-school blog.
The Adventures in Copyright feature isn’t meant to point out these things so people can file lawsuits. It’s simply just stating..oh hey, these look similar.
So the tenth-grade name calling and bitching at Britt aren’t necessary. And shouldn’t half of you be in school anyway??
Oh, sweet jeeze.
The B&N bag is blatantly inspired by the Vuitton. There are no coincidences in fashion. B&N, however, did it better.
Why does everyone have to be so bitchy on this site these days? I use to joke about the bitch fights, but it’s becoming a sad reality. Agreed 22, agreed.
Whoa .. comment #12, the attack on FIDM was UNNECESSARY. Is FIDM really that bad of a school?
I really don’t see how B&N’s bag is “ripping off” LV. Yes, both bags share a similar kind of style, as do all tote bags in general, but saying B&N’s bag copied LV is like saying the color purple copied the color blue.
#22, you are so right.
The comments here have seemed to devolve into snark, bitchiness and downright high school behavior.
Britt, good post. As usual.
I hope you don’t take these people seriously.
… though they may take EVERYTHING seriously…
deep breath, kids. It’s all just about observation.
Sorry, poor grammar. Let’s try it again.
The comments here seem to be devolving into snark, bitchiness and downright high school behavior.
That’s much better…
Snarky posts call for snarky comments. Considering the snobby, oh I’m so witty tone of this post, no wonder it annoyed a bunch of people.
It’s a tongue-in-cheek homage, people. A little joke, huh?
It’s Barnes and Noble for gods sake. Worlds Best Bookbag?? Hello, don’t you get it?
that accusation is kind of ridiculous, but whatever
Could you please cite your sources for your images? Most amateur bloggers know to do this.
I agree with guest #1 and would like to add that Britt comes off very pretentious in her posts, and that’s where all the backlash comes from.