Muji sues Singaporean retailer Luiga

Muji parent Ryohin Keikaku has filed a lawsuit against Singaporean retailer Iuiga alleging trademark infringement. During an interview Muji president Satoru Matsuzaki said the lawsuit was filed against Iuiga in Singapore courts in late January for “trademark infringement and passing-off under Singapore law”.

The Japanese retail giant is seeking a court order to stop the use of the Muji trademark in Iuiga’s statements, as well as compensation for damages and losses.

According to the report, the Singapore firm has used statements such as “Muji same manufacturer” and “direct from Muji manufacturer” on its e-commerce website and in its physical store.

“We requested Iuiga to disclose information on their manufacturing factories to verify their statements. However, we did not receive any response,” a Muji spokesperson said.

The Japanese firm added that its manufacturing contractors have denied manufacturing or supplying products to Iuiga.

Iuiga’s chief growth officer Jaslyn Chan said the company has “done nothing wrong”, adding that the information on its website is factually accurate and its “manufacturing processes are legal”.

She added that Iuiga works with “original design manufacturers”, and that there “is no direct ownership of the product by any single brand entity, allowing the original design manufacturers to produce for more than one brand”.