Landmark ‘Right to be forgotten’ ruling against Google

Larry Page Google 

(Larry Page, CEO of Google)

A landmark ruling against Google will give people the ‘right to be forgotten’.

The American company Google has launched a service which is available from Friday. It would allow Europeans to ask Google to censor links that hold personal data. Personal data would be able to be removed from online search results. This follows the landmark EU ruling where the court gave individuals the ‘right to be forgotten’. This means that ‘irrelevant’ links and outdated data should be removed if requested, the court ruled this on the 13th May. The case concerned a Spanish man who complained that an auction notice of his repossessed property which was on Google results, infringed his privacy.

Google has said that people who wish to remove their personal data from online can do so by an online form. People who wish to remove their personal data would need to provide links they want removed, the country they are from and the reasoning behind their request. In addition to this, individuals will have to provide a valid photo identity.

In an interview with Financial Times, Larry Page (see picture above) warned that the court’s ruling could restrict innovation and strengthen repressive governments who restrict online communications.

Mr Page said Google will comply with the ruling and promised to be involved in the privacy debate “I wish we’d been more involved in a real debate . . . in Europe,” he said. “That’s one of the things we’ve taken from this, that we’re starting the process of really going and talking to people”.

Larry Page also said the company will try to ‘be more European’.

Gentlewoman

Happy Friday. Hope you all have had a lovely week.

I wore this outfit a while back when it was miserable and cold. Pinstripes were very much in, during the A/W 2013-14 season. It is the year of Gentlewoman.

I wore a Pinstripe dress over a puffy sleeve shirt and you all know I love some colour, had to bring some warmth to the dull weather at the time- so I wore it with blue suede heels and a wine coloured handbag.

Gentlewoman 1

 Gentlewoman 3

Gentlewoman 2

Gentlewoman 4

Gentlewoman 5

Gentlewoman 7

Gentlewoman 11

Gentlewoman 9 

The Pinstripes and Gentlewomen trend was seen in designers collections like Stella McCartney, Maison Martin Margiela and Marc Jacobs in the A/W 2013-14 season.

Maison Martin Margiela Pinstripe  Maison Martin Margiela Autumn Winter 2013-14

Marc Jacobs Pinstripe Marc Jacobs Autumn Winter 2013-14

Stella McCartney’s collection in particular showcased the Pinstripes trend well, where she tapped back into her Saville Row background and her signature style (menswear fabrics, sporty luxe, sweatshirt dresses). The masculine-feminine collection was very much Stella.

Stella McCartney AW 13-14 pinstripe 1 Stella McCartney AW 13-14 pinstripe 3

Stella McCartney AW 13-14 pinstripe 2 Stella McCartney AW 13-14 pinstripe 4

Stella McCartney AW 13-14 pinstripe 5 Stella McCartney AW 13-14 pinstripe 6

Stella McCartney Autumn Winter 2013-14 Collection

 

What I was wearing:

Gentlewoman 10 Dress-Vintage

Shirt-Vintage

Blue Velvet suede heels- Kurt Geiger

Belt- Versace

Wine Bag-John Lewis

 

Stay Blessed

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Balenciaga files lawsuit against Steve Madden

Balenciaga is suing Steven Madden with a trademark lawsuit. The Paris based design house, helmed by Alexander Wang, filed a lawsuit in the US District Court in Manhattan accusing accessories designer Steven Madden of copying its famous motorcycle bag. Balenciaga said that Steven Madden has made a “studied copy” of the bag. Balenciaga argues Steven Madden’s Btalia bag which is being sold for $88, resembles the Motorcycle bag.

Balenciaga Motorcycle bag Balenciaga Motorcycle bag

Balenceniaga motorcycle bag Balenciaga City Bag

Steve madden btalia bag Steven Madden’s Btalia bag

The French design house which is owned by parent company Kering has claimed that Steven Madden is manufacturing a cheaper version of their famous Motorcycle bag. This according to Balenciaga has been specifically done to confuse consumers. The company claims that Steven Madden has infringed a trade dress regulation that the Parisian house applied for in 2007. A trade dress regulation is a type of trademark protection. This is a visual kind of trademark where the appearance of the product is looked at.  Trade dress infringement issues arise when a party feels that a copy could result in consumer confusion. The trade dress which was registered by Balenciaga covers the front design of Motorcycle bag and its lookalikes such as Twiggy, Velo, Papier and City (see picture above).

The registration protects: “The flat pouch with a zippered rectangular closure, a zipper pull consisting of a strip centrally-knotted and hanging in two equal lengths, and a semi-elliptical patch outfitted with two raised studs in each corner; and two identical patches in an elongated pentagonal shape, featuring an elongated hexagonal patch outfitted with a buckle and two raised studs”.

The Motorcycle bag has been a celebrity favourite seen on the likes of Kim Kardashian, Mary-Kate Olsen and Paris Hilton. It became so popular that there were many counterfeits on the market. As a result of this, Balenciaga decided to register a US trade dress to protect the design. The bag was created by Nicholas Ghesquiere who was at Balenciaga from 1997 and in 2012 Alexander Wang became his successor.

SPL265916_009  Kim Kardashian carrying a suede Motorcycle bag

Balenciaga has asked the court for an injunction to prevent Steven Madden producing the “studied copy” of its Motorcycle bag. The French label is also seeking monetary damages and lost profits. Balenciaga’s complaint states: “Defendant’s wholesale copying of Balenciaga’s designs is likely to deceive consumers into believing that the infringing [handbag] is associated with or authorized by Balenciaga when it is, in fact, not.” In addition, Balenciaga claims not only is there customer confusion but it is also hurting the company’s goodwill, reputation and sales.

This is not the first time Balenciaga has filed a lawsuit against the American designer, Steve Madden. If you remember, in 2007 the company filed a complaint against Steven Madden for “intentionally copying” its LEGO high heel from its Autumn/Winter 2007 Collection.

Do you think Steve Madden’s Btalia copied Balenciaga’s Motorcycle bag? Or do you think they are just similar?

 

Stay Blessed

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Pearl Choker

I have been wanting a statement necklace that has pearls in.  All I could find was the traditional one strand pearl necklaces which I already have. I am still on a mission to find a chunky pearl necklaces with many strands. Any ideas?

Many of you may have seen the Zara pearl choker which has been made popular by fashion bloggers. I think its such a elegant yet edgy necklace that can be worn day in and day out.

Mother of pearl 6 (zara)  Mother of pearl 7 (Zara)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Zara Pearl Choker (find here)- sold out

Zara Pearl Bracelet (find here)

My love for the pearl choker began when I saw the Chanel Spring/Summer 2014 report and the huge pearl bubble chokers the models were wearing. Then I saw that Zara had a pearl choker which was similar. I put it in my basket and by the time I came back, it was sold out. Sad times indeed!

Mother of pearl 1 (Chanel)

Mother of pearl 2 (Chanel)

Mother of pearl 3 (Chanel)

Nevertheless, there was still hope for my mission to find a similar necklace to the Chanel pearl choker. Yayy, I did end up find up finding something. Topshop also have a pearl choker. They have it in grey too, which I have been thinking about getting.  I am thinking twice about it, the same necklace in two colours. Excessive or Necessary?

Mother of pearl 9

Mother of Pearl 10

Topshop Pearl Choker (find here)

Mother of pearl 4

Topshop Grey Ball Collar (Find here)

Topshop Grey Ball Bracelet (Find here)

It is great to see the influence of designers on the high street, high end designs trickling into high street shops. This means that people can find similar designs for a cheaper price and still feel en vogue. I remember Miranda Priestly telling off Andy in The Devil Wears Prada because she did not understand the importance of designs and how they could impact the ordinary man. Here is a quote of what she said:

Miranda and some assistants are deciding between two similar belts for an outfit. Andy sniggers because she thinks they look exactly the same] Something funny?
Andy Sachs: No. No, no. Nothing’s… You know, it’s just that both those belts look exactly the same to me. You know, I’m still learning about all this stuff and, uh…
Miranda Priestly: ‘This… stuff’? Oh. Okay. I see. You think this has nothing to do with you. You go to your closet and you select… I don’t know… that lumpy blue sweater, for instance because you’re trying to tell the world that you take yourself too seriously to care about what you put on your back. But what you don’t know is that that sweater is not just blue, it’s not turquoise. It’s not lapis. It’s actually cerulean. And you’re also blithely unaware of the fact that in 2002, Oscar de la Renta did a collection of cerulean gowns. And then I think it was Yves Saint Laurent… wasn’t it who showed cerulean military jackets? I think we need a jacket here. And then cerulean quickly showed up in the collections of eight different designers. And then it, uh, filtered down through the department stores and then trickled on down into some tragic Casual Corner where you, no doubt, fished it out of some clearance bin. However, that blue represents millions of dollars and countless jobs and it’s sort of comical how you think that you’ve made a choice that exempts you from the fashion industry when, in fact, you’re wearing the sweater that was selected for you by the people in this room from a pile of stuff

Whether we like it or not, what we wear is somehow shaped by the fashion industry. Miranda’s example was Oscar De La Renta cerulean gowns and Andy’s sweater. There are many examples through history and today. For instance Roland Mouret and his ‘Moon’ Dress, famously worn by Victoria Beckham in 2007, created a frenzy on the high street. Stores such as Topshop had their own version and even Tesco had similar dresses to Mouret’s ‘Moon’ dress.  The Chanel Pearl Bubble Choker, is a clear example of this today.

Stay Blessed

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