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RAPAPORT... Antique and estate jeweler Gilt Jewelry of Portland, Oregon sued online retailer the Gilt Groupe Inc. for trademark infringement, unfair competition and unjust enrichment, according to the jeweler's attorney at Miller Nash LLP. Gilt and its founder Paula Bixel sells local, sustainable and unique vintage and antique jewelry, but the retailer alleged that the Gilt Groupe has tarnished and diluted the brand that Bixel has been building for nearly 20 years. The suit seeks to cancel many of Gilt Groupe's federal trademark registrations. "Bixel's boutique has been a fixture on the Northwest 23rd shopping scene for decades. When people walk by her storefront and mistake her unique store for a corporate giant, or remark on all the spam they receive from 'Gilt,' it is heartbreaking for her," said Elizabeth Milesnick, the attorney for Gilt.
According to the jeweler, consumers (potential customers) come in to her store believing that they can return items from Gilt Groupe's website due to the boutique's name. "Perhaps more important than money is the possible remedy of an injunction, which would prevent Gilt Groupe from making further use of the GILT trademark, and go a long way toward eliminating the confusion that threatens to destroy Bixel's business," said Milesnick.
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