Los Angeles (E! Online) - Heidi Klums latest project? How about a lawsuit?
The Project Runway emcee is being sued by jewelry maker Van Cleef & Arpels for allegedly ripping off a custom-made clover design for one of her jewelry lines.
The lawsuit, filed in Manhattan federal court last week, accused the 34-year-old Klum of infringing on Van Cleefs copyright for its distinctive Alhambra collection by employing an all too similar shape for her own charms for Mouward USA, a rival jewelry company founded by diamond tycoon Pascal Mouaward.
Defendants have appropriated this design and incorporated it into their jewelry line, attempting to appropriate the goodwill built up by Van Cleef & Arpels to create their own symbol, states the complaint. Such use...has created great confusion in the marketplace.
Court documents also cited a New York Times article entitled Coming Up Clover, in which the writer stated that the knockoffs [of the Alhambra design] are rampant and that Heidi Klum appropriated the clover design for her trinkets for Mouwad.
Van Cleef & Arpels is seeking more than $25,000 in damages (which, it should be noted, is a lot less than the reputed $61,200 cost of one of its vintage diamond clover necklaces).
Neither Klums reps nor Mouawad USA were available to comment. However, the jeweler said in an earlier interview that the claims were completely without merit.
Its clear that shapes like clovers, hearts, crosses, etc, are universal symbols and are commonly used in jewelry, Mouawad told People. Heidi has been wearing her pieces on Project Runway and weve seen them become quite popular.
The clover has always been in fashion, and you can see that many other luxury jewelry houses have their own interpretations of this wonderful shape such as Louis Vuitton and Chopard.
When Klum isnt being slammed for her fashion wares, the German supermodel and Victorias Secret Angel is in the midst of hosting and judging aspiring designers on the fourth season of Project Runway, which Bravo premiered in November.
