Puma loses legal battle with Dolce & Gabbana over fur sandals

Setback for Puma: The German company has lost a legal dispute against luxury label Dolce & Gabbana. The Italians are allowed to continue selling their expensive beach sandals with fur strap in Germany, which are modeled on a much cheaper version by Puma. The higher regional court in Munish sees no violation of fair trade in this. Puma had already lost in the first instance, and on Thursday, the judges rejected Puma’s appeal in the second instance as well. "We believe that there is no infringement of competition," said judge Gunnar Cassardt.

However, Puma does not have to fear negative consequences for its business: According to the court, Dolce & Gabbana sold only three pairs of its expensive beach sandals with real mink strap, costing nearly 500 euro, last year in Germany, of which two were test buyers from Puma. (dpa)