MajorsDec 20, 2021
David Yurman Sues Mejuri Over Alleged IP TheftMajorsMar 09, 2022
Mejuri Files Countersuit Against David Yurman
The jewelry retailer said David Yurman’s lawsuit is merely a way to bully its competition.
Mejuri recently filed a countersuit against David Yurman, claiming the company’s infringement lawsuit is “an anti-competitive attack” on a smaller but emerging challenger.
New York—Mejuri filed a countersuit against David Yurman late last week, claiming the company’s infringement lawsuit is just a way to bully its competition.
David Yurman filed suit against Mejuri in a New York federal court in December, accusing the company of copying several of its iconic designs from the “Pure Form” and “Sculpted Cable” collections.
The lawsuit alleges Mejuri is infringing on the company’s intellectual property rights by unlawfully copying its designs, causing customer confusion, and damaging the reputation it took four decades to build.
In a statement issued when the lawsuit was filed, Mejuri denied those allegations.
In its countersuit, the company said, “Yurman’s complaint is not a legitimate attempt to protect its intellectual property but is instead an effort to bully and stifle an emerging competitor by claiming a monopoly on classic jewelry designs that have been used for centuries—designs that are ubiquitous in the jewelry industry today.”
To further support its claims, Mejuri detailed its design process, sharing its inspiration, sketches, and other steps, noting the differences between the twist designs in its “Crôissant Dome” collection and David Yurman’s “Pure Form” collection.
David Yurman filed suit against Mejuri in a New York federal court in December, accusing the company of copying several of its iconic designs from the “Pure Form” and “Sculpted Cable” collections.
The lawsuit alleges Mejuri is infringing on the company’s intellectual property rights by unlawfully copying its designs, causing customer confusion, and damaging the reputation it took four decades to build.
In a statement issued when the lawsuit was filed, Mejuri denied those allegations.
In its countersuit, the company said, “Yurman’s complaint is not a legitimate attempt to protect its intellectual property but is instead an effort to bully and stifle an emerging competitor by claiming a monopoly on classic jewelry designs that have been used for centuries—designs that are ubiquitous in the jewelry industry today.”
To further support its claims, Mejuri detailed its design process, sharing its inspiration, sketches, and other steps, noting the differences between the twist designs in its “Crôissant Dome” collection and David Yurman’s “Pure Form” collection.
A side-by-side comparison of David Yurman’s “Pure Form” cable bracelet and Mejuri’s “Crôissant Dome” bracelet, from the lawsuit filed by David Yurman
Mejuri’s countersuit includes this graphic, illustrating what it says are the differences between the two designs.
Mejuri claims in its suit that the inspiration for “Crôissant Dome” was the classic French pastry, not David Yurman’s design.
Mejuri also argues that twist designs, like the twists of David Yurman’s cable bracelets, have been seen in jewelry since Ancient Rome, and therefore the design is not distinctive to David Yurman.
Mejuri showed examples of ancient jewelry with twist designs as part of its countersuit.
“Given the commonplace nature of the twist motif, Yurman cannot legitimately claim the ‘Pure Form’ cable bracelet design as unique to Yurman, much less as protectable trade dress exclusive to Yurman. Nor can Yurman legitimately claim that consumers associate the appearance of the ‘Pure Form’ cable bracelet with Yurman, as opposed to any other company offering a similar design,” said Mejuri.
Mejuri’s countersuit includes several images of jewelry with twist designs from major brands like Tiffany & Co. and Cartier to independents like Ben Bridge and Ross-Simons.
Though twists are common in jewelry, David Yurman holds federal trademark registrations for its specific cable bracelet design, which Mejuri recognizes in its lawsuit.
Pieces from Mejuri’s Crôissant collection have pending design patent applications in the United States, as per court documents.
In a statement to National Jeweler, the attorney representing David Yurman called the countersuit a “weak attempt” to excuse IP infringement.
“It's common for companies caught copying others’ designs to argue that the design is free for the taking,” said Jay Neukom, lead counsel for David Yurman in the case.
“Mejuri’s weak attempt to excuse its conduct by citing the Roman Empire and its own corporate mission statement does not change the facts. Yurman’s complaint has side-by-side pictures that show how Mejuri’s ‘in-house’ designs mimic David Yurman, Boucheron, and Lagos. We look forward to making this misconduct even clearer as the case proceeds,” he Neukom.
Mejuri’s countersuit also outlines the company’s perspective on several of David Yurman’s other claims.
Mejuri took issue with the claim that Mejuri’s designs could be confused for David Yurman pieces, noting that the two companies operate in different segments of the jewelry market and their products are not sold in the same stores.
The company also noted that while other jewelry brands use twist designs, including more well-known brands, Yurman hasn’t taken legal action against them.
David Yurman has instead “chosen to target Mejuri by bringing an anti-competitive attack on a smaller, but rapidly growing, challenger that is modernizing a traditional industry,” said Mejuri.
Mejuri said its designs had been on the market for two years and no concerns had been raised until last December.
The company added that, allegedly, David Yurman never contacted them to discuss the problem and instead “filed this meritless lawsuit and issued a press release without the courtesy even of providing Mejuri notice.”
David Yurman also accused Mejuri of copying its founding message and ethos about female empowerment and women buying jewelry for themselves, a claim Mejuri denies.
The female-founded brand said female empowerment has been at the core of its mission since its founding in 2015, establishing its Empowerment Fund to support women and non-binary individuals and partnering with the Jeannette Rankin Foundation to provide additional scholarships for low-income women and non-binary people.
In its initial lawsuit, David Yurman also pointed out that when it hired a social media influencer to showcase its jewels, less than two weeks later, Mejuri hired the same influencer to appear in a similar social media campaign.
Mejuri countered that the influencer had been promoting Mejuri on her social media page months before David Yurman shared her selfie.
David Yurman, via its lawsuit, said it hopes to stop Mejuri’s “illegal actions” and receive compensation for the alleged violations as well as attorney fees.
The company also requested Mejuri melt down and recycle its remaining inventory of products that are alleged copies and take down and destroy the aforementioned advertising and promotional materials.
Mejuri said that David Yurman is not entitled to any remedy or relief and did not state that it was looking for any in return.
David Yurman is requesting a trial by jury, which Mejuri does not object to, as per court documents.
David Yurman Enterprises LLC v. Mejuri Inc. was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
More on Majors
The Latest
CrimeNov 20, 2024
Sotheby’s to Pay $6.25M Settlement to NY State for Alleged Tax FraudThe auction house was accused of helping clients avoid paying taxes on millions of dollars’ worth of art purchased from 2010 to 2020.
Events & AwardsNov 20, 2024
Kering Debuts New Jewelry Award With Sustainability FocusThe four finalists will present their pieces at the 2025 JCK Las Vegas show.
CollectionsNov 20, 2024
Pamela Love Channels Surrealist Artists in New CollectionThe “Camera Oscura” collection showcases earring designs celebrating female Surrealist artists Claude Cahun and Leonor Fini.
Brought to you by
Navigating Cybersecurity: Essential Guidance for JewelersFrom protecting customer data to safeguarding inventory records, it's crucial to learn how to tackle cybersecurity challenges.
Policies & IssuesNov 20, 2024
Columbia Gem House Raises $10K for Reforestation EffortsThe money will fund the planting of 10,000 trees in critical areas across Oregon, Arizona, Montana, and other regions.
Weekly QuizNov 14, 2024
This Week’s QuizTest your jewelry news knowledge by answering these questions.
Events & AwardsNov 20, 2024
The Jewelry Symposium Opens Registration, Scholarship ApplicationsThe event centered on advancing jewelry manufacturing technology will return to Detroit in May 2025.
CrimeNov 19, 2024
Woman Killed in Armed Robbery of Sacramento Jewelry StoreLocal reports identified the woman as the wife of the jewelry store owner.
Brought to you by
Enhance Your Expertise with IGI’s In-Person Courses in NYCThis fall, sharpen your skills in jewelry grading, quality control and diamond assessment.
AuctionsNov 19, 2024
‘A Tsar’s Treasure’ Fetches $2.9M at Sotheby’s Jewelry SaleA collection of pieces owned by Ferdinand I, the first king of modern Bulgaria, and his family, blew away estimates in Geneva last week.
CollectionsNov 19, 2024
Snoop Dogg’s New Jewelry Collection Is All About Love“Lovechild” was created in partnership with Carolyn Rafaelian’s Metal Alchemist brand.
EditorsNov 18, 2024
Q&A: Helzberg CEO Brad Hampton on the Jeweler’s RebrandHampton discussed how Helzberg is improving the customer experience and why it was inspired by the company formerly known as Dunkin’ Donuts.
Policies & IssuesNov 18, 2024
Reciprocity Jewels Returns to NYC Jewelry WeekThe group will host several curated events and an exhibition of designer jewelry made with Peruvian gold traceable to the miners’ names.
CollectionsNov 18, 2024
Dolly Parton Shines in Collaboration with Kendra ScottThe collection honors the 50th anniversary of Dolly Parton’s “Love is Like a Butterfly” song, which shares a birth year with Kendra Scott.
Events & AwardsNov 18, 2024
IGI Jewelry Design Competition ReturnsThis year’s theme asks designers to take inspiration from classic fairy tales.
EditorsNov 15, 2024
Why Fine Jewelry Belongs at New York Comic ConSenior Editor Lenore Fedow makes the case for why more jewelers should be appealing to nerds at the annual event.
CollectionsNov 15, 2024
Marie Lichtenberg Battles Counterfeits with New ‘Raiz’in Scapular’ DesignsThe latest “Raiz’in” drop showcases a newly designed “Scapular” necklace and donates a portion of the proceeds to Make-A-Wish France.
WatchesNov 15, 2024
Piece of the Week: Citizen’s Commemorative Pocket WatchNo. 1 out of 100, the timepiece was created to mark Citizen’s 100th anniversary and will be auctioned off at Sotheby’s next month.
Recorded WebinarsNov 15, 2024
Watch: 10 Tips to Keep Your Jewelry Store Secure On the latest episode of “My Next Question,” two experts share best practices for store security during the holidays and year-round.
AuctionsNov 14, 2024
18th-Century Diamond Necklace Sells for Nearly $5M Sotheby’s sold the necklace, which potentially has ties to Marie-Antoinette, for $4.8 million to a woman bidding via phone.
WatchesNov 14, 2024
Grand Seiko Partners With Ben Bridge on First Hawaii Store The new Grand Seiko boutique is located in Honolulu’s Waikiki neighborhood.
SourcingNov 13, 2024
Gem Legacy Adventures Announces 2025 Trip Eleven spots are available for travelers to visit Northern Tanzania and Southern Kenya from July 25 to Aug. 4.
AuctionsNov 13, 2024
Aga Khan Emerald Sells for $8.8M, Sets RecordThe emerald brooch-turned-pendant returned to auction after 55 years, setting a world record for most expensive emerald sold at auction.
AuctionsNov 13, 2024
‘Exceptional’ Burmese Ruby Ring Tops $5M at Auction Phillips also sold a 1.21-carat fancy red diamond dubbed the “Red Miracle” for more than $1 million at its jewelry auction in Geneva.
MajorsNov 13, 2024
Ariana Grande, Anya Taylor-Joy Star in Holiday Jewelry CampaignsFrom Swarovski to Tiffany & Co., jewelry retailers are enlisting celebrities to highlight their holiday offerings.
MajorsNov 13, 2024
Royal Chain’s New Catalog Is Out NowThe 2024-2025 book introduces hundreds of new designs.
FinancialsNov 12, 2024
Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels Continue to Shine for Richemont Richemont’s jewelry sales ticked up 2 percent in the first half of the year, while watch sales plummeted 17 percent.
GradingNov 12, 2024
GIA’s Next-Day Services Return for the HolidaysOffered by the lab since 2016, the holiday season special is good from now through mid-December.
