April 3 (Reuters) - Luxury handbag maker Coach sued Gap

on Wednesday, accusing the retailer's Old Navy unit of

illegally selling T-shirts emblazoned with the word "Coach."

In a trademark infringement lawsuit filed in Los Angeles

federal court, Coach and its parent, Tapestry, said they

never gave Gap permission to sell the T-shirts, and the sale was

likely to confuse customers into believing Coach was involved.

They said this had caused "irreparable harm" because Coach

trademarks symbolized "a unique blend of fashion, craftsmanship,

style, and function" reflected in the sale of "luxury lifestyle

items," not T-shirts. Coach was founded in 1941.

Gap, based in San Francisco, declined to comment, saying it

does not discuss pending litigation.

Coach, based in New York, is seeking unspecified damages for

trademark infringement, counterfeiting and violations of a

California unfair competition law. It also wants the destruction

of unsold inventory of infringing clothing.

Many luxury retailers file lawsuits to thwart the sale of

alleged knockoffs, though the defendants are often small

businesses, importers and website operators rather than publicly

traded companies such as Gap.

A lawyer for Coach did not immediately respond to a request

for additional comment.

The case is Tapestry Inc ( TPR ) et al v Gap Inc ( GPS ), U.S. District

Court, Central District of California, No. 24-02697.