hankyoreh

By Noh Hyun-woong, staff reporter

The world-renowned fashion label Chanel won a nearly US$10,000 judgment from a Seoul-area massage business for illegal use of its trademark.

The 11th civil division of Seoul Central District Court, under judge Kim Gi-young, announced on Apr. 6 that it had ruled in the French company’s favor in a suit against the “Chanel Spa,” a massage business in Seoul’s Sanggye neighborhood. Chanel was demanding 10 million won (US$9,480) and a halt to use of its trademark.

The ruling was made by summary judgment after the spa’s owner, identified by the surname Lee, made no response to the legal action. According to the Civil Procedure Act, a summary judgment in the plaintiff’s favor may be made if the defendant fails to respond within 30 days of receiving the accusation, which is seen as a tacit admission of guilt.

Chanel previously claimed damages from other South Korean business owners in 2010 and 2012 for use of its name, winning suits against, among others, an adult entertainment business known as the Chanel Business Club. The Supreme Court ruled in Oct. 1986 that the Chanel name was an “eminent trademark” widely recognized in South Korea by objective social standards, a judgment that Chanel cited a basis for its latest suit.

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