Sleek, stylish and reassuringly expensive, the Marin clutch bag by Jimmy Choo is considered one of this season's "must have" fashion items.

And it seems that bosses at a rival clothes firm thought that if that's the case, then they must have it too.

Now High Street clothes store Warehouse has been forced to destroy thousands of similar bags after they were deemed to be too similar to Jimmy Choo's original design.

The out-of-court settlement is the latest in a series of copyright battles which have seen haute-couture designs replicated then sold for a fraction of the original's cost on the High Street.

In this case, the original Jimmy Choo clutch bag was seen on the arms of no-less a fashionista than Victoria Beckham, as well as actresses Lindsay Lohan and Hilary Duff. It sells for £650.

The Warehouse version, though lacking in celebrity endorsements, retailed for a somewhat more modest £20.

Yesterday it was revealed that the Jimmy Choo copyright action against Warehouse has led to the High Street store agreeing to pay £14,000 in damages as well as having to destroy their stock of the replica bags.

A spokesman for Warehouse said the firm has launched an investigation into how the bag ended up on sale, saying: "Warehouse would never deliberately copy anybody else's designs.

"When Jimmy Choo pointed out the similarities between the two handbags we immediately withdrew the product from sale."

Jimmy Choo's glamorous boss Tamara Mellon has been assiduous in clamping down on perceived copies of her company's designs.

In December last year Marks and Spencer had to destroy thousands of £9.50 handbags after they were found to be uncannily similar to a £495 Jimmy Choo version.

And in September last year the budget New Look chain had to withdraw thousands of pairs of it Bonbon shoe and pay £80,000 compensation after Jimmy Choo threatened legal action.

Though in this latest case Warehouse claims it is "mortified" by the allegation that it copied the handbag design, other High Street accused of doing the same. may not be quite so disappointed.

In July this year Topshop was forced to withdraw a £35 dungaree-styled minidress which was extremely similar to a £185 Chloe version.

Commentators claimed that while the furore cost the High Street store money in sales of the dress, it also served to cement the Topshop's reputation for identifying designer trends and translating them into affordable version.

Dids Macdonald, chief executive of the industry watchdog Anti Copying in Design has said that copyright theft is "endemic" in the fashion industry, saying: "High Street retailers need to be much more careful about the way they imitate others."

Former Vogue magazine accessories editor Tamara Mellon founded the Jimmy Choo company in 1996 after spotting a niche for the elegant shoes made my Malaysian-born Mr Choo.

Mr Choo sold out in 2001, but the firm went on to become one of the most fashionable brands in the world - providing haute-couture shoes for numerous Oscar night outfits.

Earlier this year the company was valued at £185 million. Part of the reason for the company's success has been the glamorous Miss Mellon's high media profile.