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ARTICLE · 07 SEPTEMBER 2016

Ugg boots: the battle over trade mark rights

Stacks Law Firm
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The Ugg boots case revolves around who holds the trade mark rights to the word 'Ugg' in relation to sheepskin boots.

AustraliaIntellectual Property
Tony Mitchell
Tony Mitchell
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Court case pits American company against Australian manufacturer

American footwear giant Deckers has taken court action against local company Australian Leather for selling sheepskin boots called Ugg in the US.

Ugg boots a local phenomenon since the 1970s

In Australia warm woolly Ugg boots have been a winter staple since the 1970s. The sheepskin boots were warm and easy to slip into. The woolly boot has grown into fashionable footwear and a billion dollar industry around the world.

Local company Australian Leather argues that the name "Ugg" has its origins in Australia as a generic term for sheepskin boots and that Deckers should not have been allowed to claim a trade mark on a name that was already in use.

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