Jewelry Biz - Strength Of Money Forged In A Knot

Where does design end and copyright infringement begin?
I'm not really sure but the ubiquitous Everlon diamond knot jewelry, by DeBeers, which was sold EVERYWHERE this past season is going to find out.
De Beers' Everlon knot could get tied up in court
Los Angeles--U.S. jewelry manufacturer Orogem Corp. has filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against De Beers, claiming the diamond giant's Everlon Diamond Knot Collection too closely mirrors one of its own designs, court papers show.

According to documents filed Dec. 8 in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, Burbank, Calif.-based Orogem holds copyright registrations for what it calls the "Larkhead" pendant, a necklace featuring a knot motif design. It claims to have sold "thousands of the Larkhead pendants" all over the United States since 1999, when it registered a copyright for the design.

In September, De Beers unveiled its own line of knot-themed jewelry via the Everlon collection, which is based upon the Hercules knot and is marketed as the "strength of love, forged in a knot."

I just love the irony of this story

Diamond Trading Co. sightholders and retailers that were interested in manufacturing or carrying Everlon had to pay De Beers to participate in the trademarked program and to thereby benefit from the marketing prowess that De Beers put behind it. In the suit, Orogem claims that the advertising budget alone amounted to $20 million.

First retailers had to pay DeBeers to get in on the whole Everlon deal and then they get named in the suit

Also named in the suit are retailers J.C. Penney Co. Inc., Macy's Inc., Zale Corp., Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Helzberg's Diamond Shops Inc., the Ben Bridge Corp., Samuels Jewelers Inc. and Fred Meyer Jewelers Inc., and manufacturers Rosy Blue Inc., Stuckey Diamonds Inc., Universal Pacific Diamonds and Jewelry LLC (d/b/a Pluczenik) and JB-DM Jewelry LLC, court papers show.

Then DeBeers who borrowed the design to being with, went after other firms that copied the Everlon

In November, De Beers told National Jeweler that it was sending out cease-and-desist letters to companies believed to have infringed on the Everlon design, and that two of these companies agreed to stop selling the offending jewelry.

Now DeBeers is getting sued

My prediction, DeBeers will dig into their deep pockets, pay off Orogem and the whole thing will settle out of court.
Hopefully, this will finally mean that we can now stop seeing those silly Everlon ads everywhere.