PLAYBOY Magazine was convicted of infringement by a court of first instance in France, for it had reproduced the mark “LA MINUTE BLONDE”. Claiming its right to inform, the magazine reproduced the mark on its cover page (with the actress* just beside it in her birthday suit), without the prior authorization of the holder. The judges considered that this reproduction was an infringement and was in fact meant to attract readers for promotional purposes.
* “La Minute Blonde” was a one-minute TV program showing a titillating sexy “blond” talking nonsense.