Poker Writer
French luxury fashion brand Louis Vuitton is suing Maryland Live! Casino and Hotel, accusing the casino of using the iconic brand for a gambling floor promotion.
In the June 1 complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, Louis Vuitton claims that the casino in Hanover used the brand name for the promotion:
Targeting Louis Vuitton and using, without authorization, its famous brand, image, trademarks and goodwill as part of the campaign.
At issue are two separate marketing campaigns from the casino, each conducted in recent months (April 2026 and May 2026). In the first, the casino gave away “luxury designer handbags” that closely imitated the design of Louis Vuitton bags.
Despite receiving a cease-and-desist demand, the casino apparently went ahead with a follow-up marketing campaign. In that one, the casino gave away “purportedly authentic Louis Vuitton Products.” The marketing ad cited by Louis Vuitton doesn’t name the company, but it does call the products “a luxury French collection.”
Louis Vuitton is asking the court for destruction of infringing products and materials, “$2,000,000 per counterfeit mark per type of goods,” and treble damages, among other demands.
Maryland Live! Casino and Hotel is one of six casinos in Maryland and has a bustling poker room with 50 tables.
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Intentional False Association Alleged by Louis Vuitton
The casino used a pattern on their promotional “Art of Luxury” bags that looks very similar to Louis Vuitton’s products. It uses similar colors and pattern design. The only difference is that the Louis Vuitton “LV” logo is replaced by the Maryland Live! “Live!” logo in the middle.
The campaign promoted a $100,000 luxury designer handbag giveaway. Its official promo page did not mention Louis Vuitton until the last line:
Louis Vuitton is a registered trademark of its prospective owners. Louis Vuitton is not a participant or sponsor of this promotion.
Louis Vuitton accuses Maryland Live! of tricking patrons into thinking they were acquiring Louis Vuitton products without properly informing them of the products’ true manufacturing or quality.
“This was done with one specific and intentional purpose — to falsely convey to the consuming public that Louis Vuitton and Defendants’ Live Casino are affiliated,” the lawsuit says.
A side-by-side photo comparison of the two products in the lawsuit shows the clear similarity between the handbags.
Louis Vuitton claims that the casino’s marketing campaign is “causing persistent and irreparable damage” to the world-famous luxury brand.
The complaint goes on to explain the Louis Vuitton history and brand with detailed explanations of trademark laws in France and the United States. It also provides a detailed breakdown of the imagery of the famous designs.
