Why do we spend money? To buy products as we like? Ownership lets us use all those goods as we wish. Luxury products, on purchase, while giving its owner an out-of-the-world exhilaration of owning a super expensive item, boost the brand name too. So, who holds the rightful ownership — the brand or buyer? What triggers the question is an incident involving Ferrari and a fashion designer.
The Italian luxury car manufacturer recently threatened to sue German fashion designer Philipp Plein after he posted images and videos of his sneakers placed on the hood of his personal supercar, claiming that his behaviour has tarnished the reputation of the brand and caused Ferrari further material damage. To escalate the matters further, a law firm representing Ferrari termed the pictures distasteful and incompatible to the brand image and dispatched a letter demanding Plein to take the pictures down from his Instagram handle within 48 hours. The designer, in his defense, has called the letter a ‘blackmail’ and posted on his Instagram handle that the car is his property as he bought it with his own money.
Who is the rightful owner of a product? In this case, does it belittle the image of an auto giant like Ferrari when it sues its customer for using the product they sold according to his wish? Is there a provision wherein a company can dictate the customer on the usage of the product? We check with celebrities, lawyers, and consumers.
