By Bahk Eun-ji
The Seoul Central District Court has ruled in favor of French luxury brand Chanel in a suit against a local massage parlor in Seoul over the latter's use of the word "Chanel" in its shop name, court officials said Sunday.
The court ordered the owner of the shop "Chanel Spa," to stop using the French design house's brand name and pay 10 million won in damages.
The lawsuit was concluded as the massage parlor owner, Lee, did not make any defensive arguments against Chanel.
Under civil proceedings, if a defendant does not respond to a plaintiff's claim within 30 days after a petition is filed, the court accepts the plaintiff's claims and delivers its ruling.
It's not the first time that the French design house has filed copyright infringement lawsuits against Korean shop owners for using its brand name.
It brought suits against small local bars for naming their shops "Chanel Business Club" in 2010 and 2012, arguing that the bars' use of the Chanel name damaged its reputation.
It won the suits, with compensation amount rising to 10 million won in 2012 from 5 million won in 2010.
The Supreme Court ruled in October 1986 that Chanel is a brand that is well known both at home and abroad.
Other global luxury brands have filed infringement suits in Korea as well.
In 2009, U.K. luxury brand Burberry filed a copyright infringement against a local karaoke bar over the use of its name "Burberry Noraebang (karaoke room)" in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province.
The court ordered the owner of the karaoke bar, Jung, to pay 2.5 million won in compensation.
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