Is unauthorised fashion upcycling lawful? Not according to French first instance court

On 10 April last, the Tribunal Judiciaire de Paris ruled that S.A.S. MAISON R&C, S.A.S. ATELIER R&C, and Géraldine Lugassy Demri (defendants) had infringed the copyrights and the word mark ‘Hermès’ owned by SOCIÉTÉ HERMES INTERNATIONAL and S.A.S. HERMES SELLIER (claimants/Hermès) by reproducing the original graphic works – imprinted onto Hermès’ silk square scarves – on the