Luxury brands are betting big on India, and so are counterfeiters

As luxury brands increase their sales in India, they are in an ever-growing tussle with counterfeiters mass-producing and selling their goods for cheap.

New Delhi/Kolkata, India – A pair of black Dandy Pik Pik loafers covered in sharp, uneven spikes and shiny studs was part of the evidence before Judge Pratibha M Singh in an intellectual-property lawsuit brought by French luxury shoe brand Christian Louboutin against an Indian shoe manufacturer in a Delhi high court last year.

Louboutin’s lawyers had already regaled the court with anecdotes about the iconic status of their shoes. The signature stilettos, with their luxuriant red soles, had starred in movies like The Devil Wears Prada and Sex and The City, and were registered as a trademark in India and other countries, they said.

Riding on the brand’s reputation, the lawyers were now trying to make the point that spiked shoes, too, were unique to Christian Louboutin, and the defendant, Shutiq – The Shoe Boutique, was manufacturing and selling their designs in India illegally.

Incriminating evidence presented to Judge Singh included testimony from ChatGPT, saying that Christian Louboutin is known for spiked men’s shoes. Then there were photographs of Shutiq’s 26 spiked and bedazzled shoes next to Louboutin originals, including Dandy Pik Pik. The original loafers retailed for about $1,800, but their imitations were being sold by Shutiq for one-tenth the price.

The judge dismissed the ChatGPT testimony but imposed a fine of $2,370 and told Shutiq that if it did not stop copying Louboutin’s designs, she would fine the store $29,628.

For Louboutin, which had made $2.6m from shoe sales in India in 2022, the money was paltry, but the court order was a significant win.

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