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Who Owns a Pattern? Louis Vuitton and Japan’s Ichimatsu Moyō

 

Louis Vuitton is famous for its Damier checkerboard pattern, introduced in 1888. But an interesting trademark dispute in Japan raised a simple question: Can a company own a pattern that has existed for centuries?

 

Louis Vuitton challenged a Japanese maker of traditional Buddhist goods that was using a checkerboard design, arguing that it was too similar to its registered Damier trademark.

 

There was one problem.

 

In Japan, this pattern is known as 市松模様 (Ichimatsu moyō), a traditional checkerboard design that existed long before Louis Vuitton. The name became popular during the Edo period after kabuki actor Sanogawa Ichimatsu wore clothing featuring a similar pattern in the 18th century.

 

The Japan Patent Office ultimately determined that the Japanese design would be recognized as a traditional Ichimatsu pattern rather than as an indication of Louis Vuitton.

 

Today, millions of people recognize another famous example of Ichimatsu moyō. In Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba (鬼滅の刃), the main character Tanjiro Kamado wears a distinctive green-and-black checkerboard haori.

 

The story offers an interesting lesson about culture and intellectual property.

 

Companies can build tremendous brand value around colors, shapes, and patterns. But some designs belong to a history much older than any modern corporation.

 

Sometimes what looks like a brand is actually a tradition.