The Ugg Boot Controversy in Australia
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Case Details:
Case Code : BENV020
Case Length : 14 Pages
Period : 2003-2008
Pub Date : 2008
Teaching Note :Not Available
Organization : Deckers Outdoor Corporation
Industry : Footwear
Countries : Australia, USA
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Please note:
This case study was compiled from published sources, and is intended to be used as a basis for class discussion. It is not intended to illustrate either effective or ineffective handling of a management situation. Nor is it a primary information source.
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Introduction Contd...
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Several small manufacturers of sheepskin boots lodged
applications with IP Australia in 2003, resulting in the decision that allowed
them and other retailers of sheepskin shoes in Australia to call their boots 'Uggs.'
Ian Thompson, Hearing Officer with IP Australia, said,
“The evidence
overwhelmingly supports the proposition that the terms (Ugg, Ugh and Ug boots)
are interchangeably used to describe a specific style of sheepskin boot and are
the first and most natural way in which to describe these goods.”11
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Uggs, a short term for 'Ugly Boots', was so common in Australia that the word had found its way into the dictionaries.
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They were mainly used in Australia and New Zealand
and were relatively unknown in other parts of the world till the 1970s.
In 1978, an Australian surfer, Brian Smith (Smith), took them to the US,
obtained a trademark for the term 'Ugg', and started a company Ugg
Holdings Inc. (Ugg Holdings).
In 1995, Smith sold Ugg Holdings to Deckers, which started selling the
products under the Ugg label. Deckers repositioned Uggs as a
high-fashion luxury item by the late 1990s. They were featured in some
of the world's well-known fashion magazines and were endorsed by many
Hollywood celebrities... |
Excerpts >>
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