Shoe shop to destroy copycat designs

Moda In Pelle to pay Gina £150,00 over copycat designs

High street footwear chain Moda In Pelle has been forced to pay a designer shoe company £150,000 after copying its shoe designs.

Moda In Pelle was accused of copying a Gina shoe design - a popular designer with celebrities including Penelope Cruz and Tara Palmer-Tomkinson. Not only is the high street chain to pay out more than £150,000 but it has also agreed to destroy the copycat style which is currently on sale.

Styles which were copied included the Tallulah, Zeta, Naomi and Colette.

Attila Kurdash, Gina managing director, said: 'The scale and audacity of the copying was such that we had to take hard, decisive action. We spend considerable time and effort in developing and creating our original designs. To have them copied like this is unacceptable.'

However, Moda In Pelle owner, Stephen Buck, claimed the likeness was 'entirely accidental and unintentional' saying: 'As with all highly competitive high street retailers there is the occasional risk that a product made by one company will resemble a product made by another.'