15,743

of 20,000 signatures

To Oscar García Maceiras (CEO, Inditex), Susana Fernández Martín (IP Director, Inditex), Katharine Bichard (Legal Director, UK and Ireland, Inditex), Claudia Pérez-Ardá López (IP Legal Counsel, Inditex), Natalia Maureira-Rey (Chief Legal Officer, Zara Inc USA)

ZARA/Inditex, a multi-billion-dollar apparel company with over 2,000 retail stores worldwide is taking legal action against Tara Sartoria (www.TaraSartoria.com), a small artisan clothing business supporting independent artisans and women.

Please sign and share this petition to demand that ZARA/Inditex withdraw their legal opposition to the Tara Sartoria trademark. Our name poses no commercial threat to their massive market share and holds personal significance to the founder and her culture.

To keep updated with Tara Sartoria's fight for survival please follow us on Instagram @tarasartoria

Petition text

ZARA/Inditex claims to have “considerable empathy towards other entrepreneurs and their businesses” (1) and commitment to supporting disadvantaged communities (2). Yet, this multi-billion-dollar company is taking legal actions against Tara Sartoria, a small woman-owned business that supports disadvantaged women, claiming there is a likelihood of confusion between their trademark ZARA and Tara Sartoria.

Tara Sartoria (tarasartoria.com): A small artisan clothing business that supports women

Thao Nguyen, a Vietnamese-born entrepreneur, launched Tara Sartoria in November 2020 with her own savings and a dream to create a business that supports artisans and women.

Tara Sartoria works directly with artisans in ancient silk villages in Vietnam and Indonesia. Tara Sartoria clothing is handcrafted in limited quantities and follows sustainable practice: minimal packaging, handmade production with low impact on the environment, zero waste of fabric, and usage of eco-friendly materials.

By providing flexible work at fair wages, university scholarships, and donating 10 percent of our profits, Tara Sartoria lends women in disadvantaged communities a helping hand on the path to a brighter future. When these women succeed, they lift the hopes and dreams of the whole community.

Dealing with legal opposition by ZARA/Inditex

After Thao registered her trademark in the UK, ZARA/Inditex legally challenged her trademark, claiming that her trading name “Tara Sartoria” is too similar to ZARA. Their lawyers claimed that there was a risk of consumer confusion, trademark dilution and free-riding. They demanded that she give up her trademark Tara Sartoria, change her trading name, and rebrand to another name.

Tara Sartoria is unique and has cultural significance

Tara Sartoria is named after Tara, the Buddhist goddess of compassion and protection. Tara was born from a lotus, the flower depicted in the Tara Sartoria logo. The goddess Tara has been known throughout the world for over 3,500 years. In comparison, Zara has existed for only 47 years. Should a corporate giant be allowed to stop a small enterprise from using a name that is not only substantially different, but has completely distinct origins, and is a deeply significant part of its founder’s personal cultural heritage?

No one will confuse Tara Sartoria with ZARA!

The artisan business Tara Sartoria only sells a small range of hand-made silk products, produced in limited quantities. ZARA is a globally renowned fashion brand with a massive collection of products and stores. There is no risk of confusing us with ZARA.

Having to rebrand would destroy Tara Sartoria and end its community support initiatives

Thao has put all of her money into growing Tara Sartoria, including marketing, branding, inventory, and packaging. Rebranding would irreparably damage the business as there are no further resources to start all over again.

If Tara Sartoria goes out of business, this would also mean a loss of income to the group of silk artisans and women tailors in Vietnam to whom it is providing work, as well as a loss of support to the women from disadvantaged Vietnamese communities who benefit from university scholarships and stipends.

Please sign and share this petition to stand up for small, women-focused businesses

Please sign and share this petition to demand that ZARA/Inditex withdraw their legal opposition to the Tara Sartoria trademark. Our name poses no commercial threat to their massive market share and holds personal significance to the founder and her culture.

To keep updated please follow us on Instagram @tarasartoria

Footnotes:

(1) Letter sent on 12 November 2021 from Taylor Wessing to Tara Sartoria on behalf of ZARA stated "Our client’s company originated as a small family-run business and, as such, has considerable empathy towards other entrepreneurs and businesses."

(2) Inditex (the parent company of ZARA) states in its Corporate Citizenship Policy that one of its Objective Scope is to "encourage employment and entrepreneurship of vulnerable groups" (https://bit.ly/3GRwtkn)

10 Mar 2022
Is this a bad time?
Thank you for supporting us in our fight for survival. Our petition is now at over 13,500 signatures. Please help us get to 20,000. Could you please share our petition? Sharing to Facebook groups works very well. Here's a text with link to petition: ZARA, the clothing retail giant, is taking legal action against Tara Sartoria, a small woman-owned, artisan clothing business. Please sign and share this petition to help them stand up to Zara. Thank you. https://tinyurl.com/tarasartoria

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Tara Sartoria was founded by Thao Nguyen, a Vietnamese-born woman with a long-held dream of creating a business that supports women. By providing flexible work at fair wages, university scholarships, and donating 10% of our profits,Tara Sartoria lends women in disadvantaged communities a helping hand on the path to a brighter future.

"It is a frightening experience being legally challenged by a giant corporation like ZARA/Inditex. But we are fighting the opposition because it is an injustice - we do not agree that anyone will confuse us with ZARA. We are also fighting for survival. Thao has put all of her money into growing Tara Sartoria, including marketing, branding, inventory, and packaging. Rebranding would irreparably damage the business as there are no further resources to start all over again. Being a small business with limited resources, we're asking for your help to be able to afford legal defense. Your donation will help us pay for legal fees. Any surplus money will go to our registered charity partner PPMK - Empowering Women To Fight Poverty."


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