Ugg boots

A pair of Ugg boots with jeans tucked into them.

UGG is a registered trademark in the United States, Europe and 100+ countries for a brand of sheepskin boots and other footwear. The UGG brand is owned by Deckers Outdoor Corp., a United States Company. There are some disputes within Australia, as noted below. The UGG brand is best known for its "Classic" sheepskin boots with a wool inner lining and a tanned outer surface worn by both men and women. Uggs have been identified as a fashion trend for men and women since the early 2000's. In late 2008, Ugg boots grew again in popularity with men as male celebrities were seen in them.

In the Arctic and China, sheepskin boots have long been popular with people in rural occupations, such as sheep shearers, who have ready access to the raw materials. They are traditionally used for skiing. Their popularity increased as a result of World War I and World War II, where they were popular with aviators, because of their need to keep warm in non-pressurized planes at high altitudes. An exhibit of a WWI aviator's outfit in the Canadian War Museum cites the term "fug" boots. Ugg boots have also been popular with surfers and competitive swimmers since at least the 1960s, for keeping warm while out of the water. The terms ugg boots, ugh boots and ug boots have been used as generic terms for sheepskin boots in Australia since the 1950s and 1960s, when they first appeared in advertising and other publications. The natural insulative properties of sheepskin give thermostatic properties to the boots: the thick fleecy fibres on the inner part of the boots allow air to circulate and keep the feet at body temperature. This means that Ugg boots can be worn without socks or tights (even in relatively cold weather).

History

Since humans first cultivated sheep, many ancient cultures have made soft sheepskin boots. Their popularity diminished once leather tanning of more durable leather products like cowhide increased. Unlike cowhide, the sheepskin is soft and easily abraded, resulting in its usage historically reserved for non-taxing usage. In modern history, apparently sheepskin boots gained in popularity as a result of World War I and World War II, when they were popular with aviators because of the need to maintain warmth in non-pressurized planes at high altitudes. An exhibit of a WWI aviator's outfit in the Canadian War Museum cites the term "fug" boots. Ugg boots have also been popular with surfers and competitive swimmers since at least the 1960s, for keeping warm while out of the water. Uggs became ubiquitous among Southern California surfers and Southern California downhill skiers, and from there, Uggs, which name comes from the Australian slang *UGH* for ugly and was thereafter used by everyone for the Aussie UGG boot, were popularized by Hollywood into the American mainstream and later the worldwide market. Since Ugg, by an American company and calling their label UGG@Australia, mass production moved to China in 2005, the Ugg has exploded onto the world market and gained in popularity. Uggs have been identified as a fashion trend for both sexes since the early 2000s. Like fashion throughout history, Ugg boots ride the vagaries of fashion trends, with a growth in popularity for men tied to increased celebrity usage (e.g., actor Leonardo DiCaprio in Uggs). Men and Women especially college age, teens, and tweens wear Uggs with jeans, dresses, shorts and long shirts or sweaters with leggings, footless tights, or knee socks and sometimes without any legwear. Or uggs are worn with jeans tucked in.

Design

A pair of men's Ugg boots

The combination of its soft shank and sheepskin interior means that Ugg boots are designed for casual, short-term usage, and not for situations which require sturdy, protective footwear, as the design emphasis is on style and comfort rather than protecting the feet. Due to the nature of the material, cleaning products should never be applied directly to the sheepskin, as this may cause permanent damage.

While in the boot, the sockless foot is in full contact with the sheepskin lining, thereby maximizing the insulative properties of the boot. The mid-calf shaft, while not encasing the entire lower foot in wool, further enhances the thermal qualities of the boot by encasing the ankle and lower portion of the leg. The wide, rounded toebox, wide shaft, and wide heelbox with a heel-less sole enhance the comfort level by providing a non-constricting space for the foot. The durable sole in the classic Ugg measures at the toe approximately 1/2 inch, at the arch 3/4 inch, and at the heel 1 inch. The thick padding of the sole increases foot comfort during movement, while the soft shank ensures that the weight of the boot is minimized.

Trademark controversy

In 1971, Shane Stedman registered the term Ugh-boot and other terms as trademark with the Australian Trade Mark Registry. These trademarks lapsed due to non-usage, but were subsequently sold to the American company Deckers Outdoor Corporation, which also registered other trademarks, such as UGG Australia in 1999. By 2003, Deckers had begun a campaign of legal threats against Australian manufacturers and vendors using variants of "ugh boots" to describe their wares.

As a result, Bruce and Bronwyn McDougall, owners of Uggs-N-Rugs, a Western Australia-based manufacturer, started legal action to have ug, ugg and ugh boots removed from the Australian Trademarks Registry. In January 2006, they succeeded in having Deckers's Australian trademark removed, and the words and the names were once again generic terms for sheepskin boots. Ian Thompson, Delegate of the Registrar of Trade Marks, stated: "[t]he evidence overwhelmingly supports the proposition that the terms UGH BOOT(S), UG BOOT(S) and UGG BOOT(S) 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 which should innocently come to the minds of people making this particular style of sheepskin boot."

Deckers Outdoor Corporation decided not to challenge the decision in a higher court, but still hold the trademark in the United States and the European Union and 100+ countries[1] and [2]and [3] and continue to refer to their product as "UGG footwear". They have continued a campaign against other companies referring to products as "ugg", "ugly" or "ugh" boots. They claim that they continually monitor usage of the above names on the World Wide Web, using legal means to shut down any auction or website that they feel infringes their trademark. Deckers have also registered the domain uggsnrugs.com, The website also lists the results of Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy cases taken to an arbitration provider.

The following is what Deckers state at the domain related to Uggs-n-Rugs:

Back in 1978, young Australian surfer Brian Smith and his American cohort Doug Jensen introduced the UGG brand sheepskin boots to the United States. In 1978/79 they Trademarked the name, bought their first container of Uggs and began an initial sales trek from San Diego to Santa Cruz. Jensen left the company before the end of the first year, while Smith continued on tenaciously, eventually making his rags to riches story come true.

The UGG trademark in the United States was first registered in 1984 but has gone through several stylistic changes and changes in ownership until its present state. A stylized version of UGG, Serial number 73492075,was first registered in 1984 by UGG imports, which was eventually acquired by Deckers. This mark was abandoned in 1985. In 1985 they then registered trademark 73571139 which featured a picture of a sheep along with a stylized version of UGG and the words ORIGINAL UGG BOOT AUSTRALIA. This mark was abandoned in 1987.

In 1990 UGG International registered another stylized word mark,74038440, which was abandoned in 2000.

The actual word mark for UGG,74668751, was filed in 1995 by UGG Holding and then assigned to Deckers. This mark was abandoned in 2007 when Deckers filed a new series of trademarks including UGG and derivations of it with amended classifications.

Owing to USA trademark laws, many companies selling into the USA now market these boots as "sheepskin boots".--- Popular brands are Emu Australia, Warmbat, Uggs-N-Rugs, RocketDog, Bear Paw and Koolaburra.

In 2006 a Save our Aussie Icon campaign had been started through the Internet by a number of Australian Manufacturers following on from recent legal proceedings. Also the well-connected Australian Festival USA, Inc, is promoting the Australian made UGG boots and has taken up the fight to get the world know the difference between the MADE in CHINA boots and Australian made ones. However, the Deckers brand, UGG continues to source almost all of its skins for their footwear in Australia which complicates the Australian manufacturers claims.

External links

• The Good, The Bad and the Ugg Boot description of a 2006 documentary film on the trademark dispute (see also Australian Film Commission database)
• "Putting the Boot In", Sydney Morning Herald, 13 March 2004
• "There's no business like shoe business - Ugg Boots", The Independent 17 February 2004
• Direction to remove 245662 (UGH-BOOTS) from the Register of Trade Marks. Trademarks Act 1995: Decision of a Delegate of the Registrar of Trademarks with Reasons: Findings of Australian Trademark Hearing. 16 January 2006. (PDF file)
• http://oami.europa.eu/ows/rw/pages/QPLUS/databases/searchCTM.en.do Link to trademark registration on the CTM for UGG, owner Deckers Outdoor Corporation.
• http://tess2.uspto.gov/bin/gate.exe?f=doc&state=4006:3e6v34.2.3 Link to trademark Registration on the USPTO for UGG, owner Deckers Outdoor Corporation.
• http://pericles.ipaustralia.gov.au/atmoss/falcon_details.show_tm_details?p_tm_number=785466&p_search_no=1&p_ExtDisp=D&p_detail=DETAILED&p_rec_no=1&p_rec_all=13 Link to trademark registraton on the Australian register for UGG AUSTRALIA owner Deckers Outdoor Corporation.