Louis Vuitton Cup

Paul Madden then contracted with Louis Vuitton to be the first sponsor of this Cup series that led up to the main event.

Louis Vuitton offered a trophy to the winner of the challenger selection series; the idea was Paul Madden's, but is generally credited to Bruno Trouble, a French yachtsman.

Rules for the current races (2005–2007) stipulate that ranking points awarded for each act of competition will increase as they get closer to the final.

History shows that the Louis Vuitton Cup series enhances the chances of the challenger due to the intense racing against different opponents which improves the tactics and crew co-ordination of the winner.

[5] Louis Vuitton also sponsored the heats to the 2013 and 2017 America's Cups; These "world series" were sailed in smaller 45 ft wingsail catamarans, the AC45.