LONDON — Lawyers for perfumer Jo Malone have mounted a defense in the U.K. High Court to a lawsuit filed by the Estée Lauder Cos. , refuting allegations of trademark infringement, passing off and breach of contract. As reported in March, Lauder initiated legal proceedings against Malone, founder of the Jo Malone brand; her fragrance house Jo Loves Ltd.; Jo Loves (Wholesale Ltd.), and ITX UK Ltd. (formerly Zara UK Ltd.) for using her name on products unrelated to the Jo Malone London brand. Related Articles Lauder purchased Malone’s eponymous fragrance business in 1999 and she left the company in 2006. Following a five-year non-compete clause, Malone started the Jo Loves fragrance brand in 2011. That brand has a store on Elizabeth Street in London, and Malone continues to work as a fragrance consultant for brands, individuals and companies, including Zara . She began collaborating with the Inditex-owned retailer in 2019, creating a line of fragrances.…