Why Did Louis Vuitton Sue A South Korean Fried Chicken Eatery?

Luxury labels are never down with having their prestigious, history-steeped logos ripped off. (We can't blame them for being territorial about things.) But every once in a while, a (highly unauthorized) riff on an iconic symbol surfaces that's totally out of left field. Exhibit A: Louis Vuitton wasn't too thrilled to find out that a Seoul fried chicken spot was making use of the French fashion house's name and monogram, according to the South China Morning Post. The South Korean eatery had dubbed itself Louis Vuiton Dak, the latter two words being a twist on the word "tongdak," which translates to "whole chicken." But the poultry-slinging establishment didn't just pay (unwanted) homage to Vuitton's name. They also co-opted the brand's instantly recognizable interlocking LV logo on its takeout boxes and napkins. It looks a bit like this Swedish artist's very chic Chanel-ified fast food eats and packaging from three years ago. Except that it's, you know, not an art project. In September, the brand served the restaurant with a cease-and-desist letter and Louis Vuiton Dak's owner subsequently changed the fried food joint's name to chaLouisvui tondak. Alas, this wasn't good enough.

“Although [Louis Vuiton Dak's owner] changed the name with different spacing, the two names sounded almost the same,” the judge stated, according to Korea Times. On Monday, the Seoul district court fined the owner $12,500 for not following the court's ruling. We've reached out to Louis Vuitton for comment on the fried legal fracas and will update when we hear back.