In a new lawsuit, a West Michigan office furniture manufacturer accuses a Canadian company of producing and selling knock offs of one of the industry’s iconic designs.
Herman Miller Inc. has sued Gold Leaf Holding Ltd. of British Columbia over the company’s intentional violation of trademark law in selling, distributing and advertising several products marketed under the Eames moniker, according to court documents.
The designs of Charles and Ray Eames for decades have been a part of the Herman Miller collection, dating back to the late 1940s.
But in the lawsuit filed in August in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan, the Zeeland-based Herman Miller alleges that Gold Leaf, which does business as Rove Concepts, sold “design reproductions” of six classic Eames products, including the Eames Lounge Chair, Molded Plywood Dining Chair and two version of the designers’ Office Chair.