The Naked Truth

It’s all about the marketing when it comes to selling a successful beauty product—but what happens when two different brands share a similar name? A lawsuit, according to reports, as lingerie/personal care giant Victoria’s Secret is suing beauty marketer Urban Decay over the trademarked term “Naked.”

Urban Decay is selling a new foundation and a bestselling color cosmetic palette called Naked (and its sequel, Naked 2). According to reports, Victoria’s Secret has been selling bras and panties under the trademark “The Nakeds by Victoria’s Secret” since 2010, and in June 2012 introduced a cosmetic line called “The Nakeds,” according to the lawsuit filed in a federal court in Ohio by Victoria’s Secret.

In a July 18 letter, Urban Decay warned Victoria’s Secret that it was violating the Newport Beach company’s trademark and insisted that Victoria’s Secret “immediately cease all production, marketing, promotion, sale and distribution of the Nakeds palette,” according to the lawsuit, and to give all existing inventory and marketing materials to Urban Decay to be destroyed.

Urban Decay set a deadline of July 27 to meet its request, the lawsuit said in reports.

Victoria’s Secret wants the federal judge to rule that the lingerie company is not infringing on Urban Decay’s trademark and to remove Urban Decay’s trademark of the name “Naked” in connection with personal care products including cosmetics.

Victoria’s Secret claimed in its lawsuit that the term “naked” is too broad for trademark protection and consumers would not be confused by two lines of makeup named “Naked,” said reports.