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Is Chanel Beauty guilty of counterfeiting?<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n While luxury brands fiercely defend their creations against unscrupulous copycats, technology players are also very attached to their own innovations…<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Los Angeles-based Zugara<\/b>, a specialist in augmented reality<\/b>, filed a lawsuit<\/b> against Chanel Beauty in Texas last July.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n It accuses the virtual cosmetics testing protocol<\/b> deployed by the Cambon Street company on its US website of being too closely inspired<\/b> by its own development.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Its patented solution<\/b> allows virtual cosmetics\u2014lipstick, mascara, and other eye shadow\u2014to be superimposed in real time on the eyes or lips of Internet users, despite their movements.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n According to the complaint, Chanel’s solution incorporates the various stages of Zugaro’s patented solution, namely \u201cobtaining a live video stream, detecting the position or orientation of a user’s face, and superimposing virtual cosmetics that dynamically adjust to the user’s movements<\/b>.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Founded in 2001, initially as an interactive marketing agency, Zugaro has been focusing since 2008 on augmented reality and natural interfaces (gestures, voice, etc.) as a means of interaction. Its Webcam Social Shopper (WSS) allows users to try on clothes virtually via a webcam.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Its turnover is not public, but some sources estimate its annual revenue at between $5 million and $25 million. It has succeeded in attracting prestigious clients such as the luxury leather goods brand Coach, food companies Pepsi and Nestl\u00e9, and others in different sectors, such as Toyota and the US Air Force.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n This solid portfolio clearly allows it to remain unfazed by the big players.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n A few months ago, the company accused beauty brand Est\u00e9e Lauder of copying its patent. An out-of-court settlement allowed the two sides to bury the hatchet this summer.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n While it greatly enriches the user experience\u2014an essential asset in these times of \u201cluxury fatigue\u201d\u2014augmented reality technology is not without its legal pitfalls<\/b>…<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In addition to the Zugara case, brands such as Charlotte Tilbury Beauty (Puig group), Elf Beauty, and Mary Kay have already been called out for collecting biometric data without first obtaining the consent of the individuals concerned.<\/p>\n <\/p>\nSlave-like copying?<\/h2>\n
Prestigious clients<\/h2>\n