Klauber Brothers sues Nordstrom and Coquette over registered lace design 3039

The complaint

Klauber Brothers, Inc. v. Nordstrom, Inc., No. 2:26-cv-13002 (C.D. Cal.), was filed November 5, 2026, as Document 1 (12 pages; complaint dated November 4, 2026). The plaintiff is Klauber Brothers, Inc., a New York corporation with principal places of business in New York and Los Angeles. The named defendants are Nordstrom, Inc., a Washington corporation alleged to do business in California, and Coquette International Inc., a Canadian corporation alleged to design, source, import, and/or distribute lingerie under the COQUETTE brand and to operate www.coquette.com, together with Does 1 through 10. The complaint demands a jury trial. The docket through November 5, 2026, shows the complaint, civil cover sheet, certificate of interested parties, a summons request, and an AO-121 copyright report.

The work

Klauber alleges it composed an original two-dimensional artwork for lace production, allocated internal design Number 3039 (the Subject Design), owns it exclusively, sampled and sold lace bearing the design, and received a Certificate of Registration from the United States Copyright Office. The Copyright Office public record lists Registration No. VA 2-035-428 for a visual material titled 3039, with Klauber Brothers, Inc. as author and claimant, completed in 2014, first published February 19, 2014, and registered July 18, 2016.

What it alleges

The complaint alleges, on information and belief, that without authorization Nordstrom, Coquette, and certain Doe defendants created, sold, offered for sale, manufactured, caused to be manufactured, imported, and/or distributed fabric and garments incorporating lace identical or substantially similar to the Subject Design. Exemplars include a lingerie set sold by Nordstrom as Coquette Crop Lace Top & Tap Shorts Set, Item No. 6600246 (color White), and by Coquette as Serene Dreams Cami & Shorts Set, Style No. 21401, with COQUETTE brand labels and Canadian CA Identification No. 06093. It further alleges, on information and belief, that Coquette sold the products on www.coquette.com and supplied them to retailers including Nordstrom, that Nordstrom sold them on www.nordstrom.com, that the defendants had access through sampling, third-party vendors, and marketplace garments, and that the infringement was willful.

The counts and relief

The complaint pleads copyright infringement against all defendants and vicarious copyright infringement against Coquette. On information and belief, it alleges Coquette had the right and ability to supervise the accused sales and a direct financial interest in them. The prayer against all defendants seeks an injunction against infringing the Subject Design; profits, losses, or statutory damages under the Copyright Act; a trust over revenues from the accused products; attorneys' fees; an accounting; prejudgment interest; costs; and further relief.