The Portuguese brand Licores do Vale has won a legal dispute against the luxury fashion house Louis Vuitton over the use of its “LV” logo.
According to reports by Executive Digest and Euronews, the French multinational challenged the registration of the trademark “LV – Licores do Vale”, arguing that the Portuguese logo was too similar to Louis Vuitton’s internationally recognised branding.
The dispute focused on the use and arrangement of the letters “L” and “V”, which Licores do Vale uses to identify its products. The legal process reportedly lasted more than a year and temporarily prevented the registration of the Portuguese trademark.
However, the court ultimately ruled in favour of the small business created in the municipality of Monção, in northern Portugal.
Brand reacts on social media
Licores do Vale announced the decision on social media, thanking customers and supporters who followed the case over recent months.
“The ‘L’ and the ‘V’ belong to everyone,” the company wrote. “The last few months have been intense. There have been challenges, doubts, and difficult days… but there has also been hope, unity, and an enormous will to continue,” the post continued.
The company added that seeing the project grow through the support of customers and followers had been deeply emotional: “We feel that this project is no longer just ours, it belongs to everyone who believes in our history, our roots, and the flavour of our land.”
Louis Vuitton claimed “unfair competition”
According to the lawsuit cited by Jornal de Notícias and referenced by Euronews, Louis Vuitton argued that the Portuguese logo benefited unfairly from the prestige associated with its own brand.
The company reportedly described the case as involving “parasitic exploitation of the prestige of a third party’s brand” and “unfair competition.”
Louis Vuitton also claimed the Licores do Vale logo was “identical or similar” to its own branding and referred to it as “an almost complete reproduction” on a “verbal, phonetic and conceptual” level.
From local fairs to an international legal dispute
The case involved André Ferreira, creator of the “LV – Licores do Vale” logo, which was developed together with his partner Tânia Afonso.
Licores do Vale began as a hobby project and sells products including liqueurs, jams, honey and biscuits at local agricultural fairs.
The couple reportedly never expected that their small business, rooted in the traditional flavours of the Monção region, would attract the attention of one of the world’s largest luxury brands.
The court ruling now allows the Portuguese company to continue using and registering its branding, turning an unlikely legal dispute into a symbolic victory for a small regional business.