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A nearly decade-long legal battle has resulted in an iconic Australian brand having to change its name when shipping overseas.
Todd Springthorpe from UGG Since 1974 said the brand was being sued by Deckers Outdoor Corporation — a US shoe company — over the trademark to the word UGG in a video posted to TikTok on Tuesday.
“We’ve been proudly making Australian boots for over five decades and three generations. We also own the trademark in Australia and New Zealand, where the boots originated — where UGG boots originated,” Todd said.
He explained the lawsuit from Deckers made it hard for the brand to share their boots with people outside Australia and New Zealand.
Springthorpe, who is the grandson of founders Arthur and Faye, said it was “extremely hard” to fight a lawsuit against a multi-billion-dollar company. It meant the brand would no longer be known as UGG Since 1974 outside of Australia and New Zealand. Instead, it will be called Since 1974.
He said the brand hasn’t changed who UGG Since 1974 was or what it believed in.
“We are the original and we will still be the original no matter what our label says on the back of our boots,” he said.
The lawsuit is still ongoing.
In Australia, ugg is a generic term for any sheepskin boots — that have been made since the 1930s.
It was popularized by surfers in the 1960s. By the time UGG Since 1974, ugg was becoming the accepted term for the sheepskin shoe.
Another man, completely unrelated to UGG Since 1974, was distributing another Australian brand’s Uggs in the United States. However, this man then sold the trademark. Eventually, it ended up in the hands of Deckers Outdoor Corporation.
Deckers argued that it had legally purchased UGG from Australian entrepreneur Brian Smith in 1995. The name UGG Australia was then trademarked. Deckers Outdoor Corporation has this trademarked in 130 countries.
It said American shoppers knew UGG as a brand name — rather than a generic term like Aussies.
The lawsuit began in 2016 after Deckers Outdoor Corporation took Australian Leather, which has owned UGG Since 1974, for copyright infringement.
Eddie Oygur, Australian Leather’s owner, told the New York Times in 2021: “This is not just about me; it is about Australia taking back ‘ugg.’
“The trademark should never have been given in the first place to the US”
Mr. Springthorpe thanked Australians for their support, adding he would update people as the case went on.
