Opinion ID: 771716
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Sophistication of Consumers

Text: 116 The District Court next considered the sophistication of consumers, which is the functional equivalent of Lapp factor (3), the price of the goods and other factors indicative of the care and attention expected of consumers when making a purchase. The court concluded that the products' consumers were likely to be sophisticated, and weighed this factor in favor of the defendants. Three considerations drove this decision. The court relied on cases holding that buyers of women's apparel are sophisticated purchasers, and on the fact that A&H had presented no evidence that its consumers were not sophisticated. The court also noted that the entire success of each brand relies on the premise that consumers will discern the slimming effect and cleavage enhancement features of their respective swimsuits. A&H IV, 57 F. Supp. 2d at 172. 117 A&H submits that the District Court erred in reaching this conclusion. It points to Victoria's Secret's admission during this litigation that the attention of consumers must be captured within a few seconds. See A&H II, 967 F. Supp. at 1466. However, there are no hard and fast rules for this determination, and the celerity with which one makes a decision does not correlate exactly with the extent of one's discrimination in matters of taste. The District Court's conclusion that consumers will be discriminating in their selection of swimwear, whether one-piece or bikinis, rings especially true. We find no error in the District Court's conclusion that this factor weighs in favor of Victoria's Secret.