Louis Vuitton has filed a lawsuit against Warner Bros. for a scene in The Hangover Part II involving a fake handbag.
In the suit, which was filed last Thursday in a New York federal court, Louis Vuitton alleges the bag is a knockoff made by a Chinese American company — Diophy, which the luxury brand is currently suing to prevent sales of the fake items from being sold in the U.S.
Louis Vuitton claims the brand has been damaged by the scene in an airport in which Zach Galifianakis’ character, Alan, admonishes Ed Helms’ character, Stu, for manhandling a piece of luggage, saying, “Careful, that is a Louis Vuitton.” The company says the line has become a catchphrase, and created consumer confusion.
See the bag in the Hangover 2 movie trailer
Louis Vuitton is demanding that Warner Bros. removes the scene before the movie is released on DVD. The company is seeking profits from the film and triple damages for trademark dilution, false designation of origin and unfair competition.
This is not the first litigation involving the film. Tattoo artist S. Victor Whitmill tried to prevent the release of the movie, claiming the facial tattoo worn by actor Ed Helm violated a copyright of the tattoo he created for Mike Tyson. The case was settled. And in October, writer Michael Alan Rubin filed a suit claiming the film was stolen from his script about his adventures in Asia. That case was dismissed.
photo: Robert Wallace/WENN