Guess CEO Paul Marciano said that a judge vindicated his company in its trademark infringement case against Gucci when she decided that Guess should pay just $4.7 million in damages instead of the $300 million Gucci originally sued for.

In a statement, Marciano said Judge Shira Scheindlin's decision "definitely confirmed . . . that this case should have never gone to three years of litigation and trial." Scheindlin wrote that Gucci's claims of how much business Guess had taken from them by allegedly copying its designs over the last two decades was "highly speculative." Marciano largely agreed, calling the entire lawsuit "unconscionable by its scope."

"They 'forgot' to claim certain trademark rights that Guess used for 23 years . . . and the court sided with Guess," Marciano said. "When they found certain issues, they waited not months but years before acting and never wrote a letter, sent an email or picked up the phone to say, 'We have an issue.' That never happened."

Marciano said Guess is "extremely satisfied," and pointed out that Gucci itself has been accused of copying other designers.

"Gucci maybe should look at their own designs and inspirations when it comes to other brands of who they get inspired by," he said. "Everyone will remember Roberto Cavalli's statement from WWD on Feb. 24, 2012, that Gucci basically copied his entire collection of 2010. Gucci never responded to that."

Gucci initiated the lawsuit in 2009, claiming that Guess concocted a "calculated scheme" to knock off its designs and did so over the course of several decades. After years of legal volleys, the case went to trial in March.

Karl Lagerfeld and Harvey Weinstein will auction off a chance to star in a short film at the amfAR Cinema Against AIDS gala in Cannes. Weinstein will produce the short, and Lagerfeld will serve as its director.

Among other lots available for auction at the gala is an all-black wardrobe, which will be displayed in a fashion show curated by Carine Roitfeld. Money will benefit amfAR's continuing AIDS research.

Those stories and more in our daily news roundup.

• Naomi Campbell celebrated her 42nd birthday in the holy city of Bethlehem, where she lit candles at The Church of the Nativity (built on the location of Jesus's birth). "I'm happy to be here," Campbell told a Palestinian television station. "Weapons and war, greed and oil . . . I hope it all stops. I care about health, about good vibrations, not destruction." [The Associated Press]
  

• The best things in life are free, and that extends to fashion-centric iPhone apps. Among the best new ones are a mobile version of the bookmarking site Svpply and a shoppable street style app called Kaleidoscope. [The High Low]
  

• LVMH will "encourage its more than 90,000 employees to adopt state-of-the-art environmental practice" during its first Green Week, an internal initiative designed to make the company friendlier to the Earth. "This year, LVMH is focusing on techniques to reduce its footprint in water-intensive sectors, including vineyards, cosmetics, and perfumes," the company said. [WWD]
  

• Tom Ford's perfume Violet Blonde was named best Luxe Women's scent at the 2012 FiFi Awards, widely considered the Oscars of the fragrance industry. Ford's Jasmin Rouge scent also won in both the men's and women's Nouveau Niche category. [Fashion Etc.]
  

• Kate Moss was overlooked for a spot on the new walk of fame in her hometown of Croydon, England. Instead, residents of the London suburb have nominated actress Peggy Ashcroft, comedian Ronnie Corbett, and composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, among others, to be honored with life-sized portraits in the center of town. Voting ends on June 16, so perhaps there's time for a write-in campaign? [Stylelist]
  

• Vogue Netherlands is sticking to its practice of casting Dutch models for covers: Guinevere Van Seenus stars on the front of the June issue in a portrait shot by Annemarieke van Drimmelen. [The Fashion Spot]

Photo: Naomi Campbell walks during the 20th Life Ball, an annual AIDS charity event, at Vienna's city hall on May 19, 2012.

Only buyers are invited to see Hedi Slimane's first two collections for Yves Saint Laurent, meaning virtually no one — including press — will see his women's Resort 2013 and men's Spring 2013 clothing before they go on sale.

A spokeswoman for YSL confirmed the press blackout to WWD on Tuesday, explaining that Slimane wants to make his first major fashion statement for the house when he presents his women's Spring 2013 collection on the runway during Paris Fashion Week. The "transitional" Resort and men's Spring collections will be shown to buyers in late June or early July.

Slimane succeeded Stefano Pilati as creative director of Yves Saint Laurent in March. He had been the head menswear designer at Dior, but left in 2007 to pursue a career in photography. His new position at YSL marks a return to the house where his career started: After graduating from the Ecole du Louvre, Slimane was hired as a marketing assistant for YSL in 1997, then rose through the ranks before becoming designer of YSL Rive Gauche Homme.