The legal dispute between Brunello Cucinelli, an Italian luxury fashion house, and Levi Strauss, a clothing company known for its signature rectangular pocket tab, has finally come to an end. On Tuesday, the denim behemoth notified a federal judge in Oakland, California, that it was dismissing the case with prejudice, ruling out the possibility of a refiling. Negotiations for a settlement began soon after Levi’s January lawsuit filing.

Although Levi has owned its trademarked design since 1938, the company accused Brunello Cucinelli of selling garments with pocket tabs that were confusingly similar. The company’s claim of infringement was supported by fourteen images. Even though Levi was fired, the company and its lawyers have yet to comment on the situation. Similarly, Brunello Cucinelli’s representative did not want to comment right away.

In recent years, San Francisco-based Levi has been very careful to protect its intellectual property, especially in relation to its distinctive pocket tab. The firm is concerned that consumers would get confused and suffer permanent damage to its reputation if it allows the sale of products using illegal copies of its tab.

Levi has taken legal action against other fashion businesses in comparable conflicts, in addition to its core denim brand, which includes Dockers and Beyond Yoga. Famous names like Yves Saint Laurent of Kering and Kenzo of LVMH have settled their cases.

Case number 24-00399 was used to bring the complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, which is officially named Levi Strauss & Co v Brunello Cucinelli USA Inc et al. Despite the end of the court battle, the significance of protecting intellectual property in the fashion business remains high.