Alfredo Versace, who clames to be related to the late Gianni Versace, has been ordered to surrender to the US Marshal on April 12th. He will remain in prison until he agrees to comply with the requirements of a contempt order issued last year, barring him from using the marks of the Milan-based design house. Alfredo and Gianni Versace had been battling over trademarks since 1996, when he began trading under the name Versace.

The company denied any family connection, and in 2000 Alfredo was held in contempt for violating the terms of injunction that the company had imposed on him since 1998. Ignoring orders and even monetary sanctions, Alfredo Versace continued to sell watches, jeans, a new line of menswear and “Versace” cigarettes in Russia and Macau. So, finally, yesterday (April 1, 2004), Federal District Court Judge Peter Leisure handed down an order giving him two weeks to comply with all of requirements before being taken into custody.