De Soto distributor in Germany loses rights to the line

Christof Werschkull, the De Soto distributor in Germany for more than a decade, will abandon any right to sell De Soto apparel in Germany under a stipulated settlement enforced by a German court.

Werschkull will be allowed to liquidate his De Soto-like product, which carries the DSS oval logo," through March 1, 2007. After that date a cease and desist order takes effect, barring Werschkull from using the signs "DSS," "T1," "DSI” and "De Soto" for goods not made by the authentic De Soto Clothing company. Werschkull has already surrendered these marks and applications to De Soto.

Werschkull obtained these trademarks in 2002, without De Soto's knowledge according to De Soto's International Customer Liaison Sylvie Hannuscheck. Werschkull manufactured apparel over the past five years with logos similar to those owned by De Soto. De Soto had previously filed and been granted trademarks in 12 European companies, Germany included, according Hannuscheck.

In 1993 a firm bearing the name Tri Tec Sports distributed De Soto imported from the United States. Eventually that firm took to making counterfeit De Soto apparel, without De Soto's knowledge, for sale in Germany. Ironically Werschkull, a former Tri Tec employee, aided De Soto in its efforts to regain the clear rights and title to De Soto distribution in Germany.

De Soto Clothing can install a new distributor in Germany starting in two weeks, on August 1, 2006.