Draper James being sued for copyright infringement

By

Cassidy Mantor

Published
Mar 7, 2016

Reece Witherspoon’s line, Draper James, is the recent target of a copyright infringement case arising from its magnolia flower logo.

Draper James launched last year. It is named after Witherspoon’s grandmother and grandfather, and draws from a distinctly southern inspired look.

The actress said she was inspired to start her own line because none of the labels that had approached her were brands she could relate to as a southern girl.

“What I know is Charleston and North Carolina and the beaches of Georgia. Tailgating. Sipping tea on the porch. Sunday dinners. Dressing for church. Those are the touchstones in my life. Those are the stories I wanted to tell,” she said.

Witherspoon has been actively promoting Draper James and now in addition to an online and social media following, she has a brick and mortar store in Nashville.

The copyright suit was filed by Jordann Weingarter, a clothing and jewelry designer who claims that the Draper James logo is too similar to her I Love Jewelry logo.

Both logos are silhouettes of magnolia flowers. Draper James has the initials DJ in its logo, while the Weingarter logo is empty. Weingarter offers engraving in her magnolia shaped charms, and advertises that celebrities including Kourtney Kardashian have worn her magnolia jewelry.

The lawsuit has been filed in federal court in West Palm Beach, Florida. It alleges copyright infringement since Weingarter’s magnolia logo was copyrighted in 2008. Weingarter claims Witherspoon had knowledge of her design because she sent the actress an engraved charm as a gift in the past. She is suing for $5 million.