Louis Vuitton has filed a lawsuit against a Las Vegas shopping mall, claiming it has created a ‘safe haven’ for the sale of counterfeit Louis Vuitton goods.

The complaint, filed in a Nevada district court, claims that the Boulevard Mall of 3528 South Maryland Parkway, run by Boulevard Ventures, rented space to sellers who were in the business of selling counterfeit luxury goods including goods bearing the Louis Vuitton trademark. Handbags, clothing, luggage and jewellery are all allegedly being sold in the mall.

“Despite being aware that counterfeit Louis Vuitton products were being offered for sale and sold by their tenants, defendants turned a blind eye to this unlawful activity and continued to allow the sale of counterfeit merchandise to flourish, all to the detriment of Louis Vuitton,” the lawsuit claims.

Louis Vuitton’s case contends that Boulevard Ventures should be held liable for the actions of its tenants given that it has the power to terminate and renew leases as well as the power to evict tenants.

“By engaging in their unlawful conduct, defendants have enjoyed the financial benefits arising from the sale and offer for sale of counterfeit merchandise…at the market,” the French luxury goods company claims.

Louis Vuitton is one of the world’s most copied fashion brands and known for its aggressive strategy in fighting counterfeits. The company devotes an entire section of its website to the matter and its legal team is famed for its zero tolerance policy when it comes to counterfeits. Lawsuits against multiple online market places and sellers as well as those against flea markets are filed each year in an attempt to stem the flow of fakes that flood the global marketplace.

Such is its commitment to fighting fakes, the company memorably took a lawsuit against Warner Brothers over the appearance of a fake bag in the film  The Hangover 2 back in 2011. The bag used in the movie was created by Diophy, a company that, at the time, produced faux luxury bags, presumably because the character carrying it was more likely to have a fake than a genuine bag. However, this cultural commentary did not stop Louis Vuitton accusing Warner Brothers of “trademark dilution, false designation of origin and unfair competition”. Ultimately, Louis Vuitton lost that one with the judge stating that it was unlikely that many filmgoers would have noticed that the bag, which was on screen for less than 30 seconds, was a knock-off, or that they would have thought Louis Vuitton approved of Warner Brothers’ use of the Diophy bag.  The lawsuit did however highlight just how far Louis Vuitton would go to in order to protect its brand.