Ugg boots

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A pair of ugg boots

Ugg boots (sometimes called uggs)[1] are unisex sheepskin boots, lined with wool on the inside and with a tanned outer surface. The UGG name and variants thereof have been brands since 1971,[citation needed] and in some countries the Ugg trademark is still upheld, but in Australia and New Zealand the trademark was removed from the registry and ugg is considered a generic name of a style of boot.

Ugg boots often have a synthetic sole, although this is not universal. Heights range from around the ankle to above the knee, they are available in a range of different colours as both slip-on and lace-up varieties, and they are produced by a number of manufacturers. The natural insulative properties of sheepskin gives thermostatic properties to the boots: the thick fleecy fibers on the inner part of the boots allow air to circulate and keep the feet at body temperature.[2] This means that ugg boots can be worn without socks even in relatively cold weather.

The ugg boot style is believed to have originated in Australia or New Zealand, although the exact date is uncertain—they have been, at different times, identified with pilots in World War I who are said to have worn them for warmth in unpressurized planes, shearers in rural Australia during the 1920s, surfers and competitive swimmers who wore them in the 1960s and 1970s for keeping warm while out of the water. In the early 2000s, they became a fashion trend in the United States, leading to increased global sales.[2]

History

short ugg boots
tall ugg boots

There has been considerable dispute over the origins of the ugg boot style, with both Australia and New Zealand claiming to have been the originators of the footwear.[3] Nevertheless, it appears that the boots were used by aviators during World War I, who referred to them as "fug boots" (surmised to be a shortened form of "flying ugg boots"),[4] and that they were present in rural regions of Australia during the 1920s.[3] While it is not clear when manufacturing started, by 1933, ugg boots were being manufactured by Blue Mountains Ugg Boots,[5] and Mortels Sheepskin Factory were making the boots from the late 1950s.[4]

In the 1960s, ugg boots became a popular option for competitive surfers,[6] who used the boots to keep their feet warm after exiting from the surf.[7] It was surfing which helped popularise the boots outside of Australia and New Zealand, when surfer Brian Smith started selling the boots in the United States through the company Ugg Holdings, Inc. in 1979.[7] Later, ugg boots emerged as a fashion trend in the United States, with celebrities such as Kate Hudson, Sarah Jessica Parker and Pamela Anderson choosing to wear the boots, creating increased demand.[8][9] However, Pamela Anderson renounced ugg boots in 2007 upon realising that they were made from animal skin.[9]

The terms ugg boots, ugh boots and ug boots have been used as generic terms for sheepskin boots in Australia and New Zealand since at least the 1970s,[1][6] although individual accounts have suggested that the terms (or variations thereof) were employed earlier. The 1970s saw the emergence of advertising using the names,[1] but Brian Smith has stated that the boots were referred to as "uggs" long before the word was trademarked (in 1971),[10] and Frank Mortel claims to have been making ugg boots under the "ugg" name since 1958.[11][12]

Design

Ugg boots are traditionally made from sheepskin. The wool is tanned into the leather, and the upper part of the boot is assembled with the fleece on the inside. The soles of the boots are made from rubber, and the stitching is often prominent on the outside of the boot. The fleece draws away moisture, keeping the feet dry and at body temperature.[2] Today they come in a variety of colours, including black, pink, blue, chestnut, fuchsia,[13] and so on. Also they are available in both slip-on and lace-up varieties. The height of the boot can range from just above the ankle to, in some cases, over the knee.[13]

Some variations of ugg style boots have also been made from kangaroo fur and leather.[14] Along with the sheepskin varieties, synthetic boots have entered the market. Although derided as "fake" by some in the industry,[15] their lower price point made them appealing to large retail chains such as Myer.[16]

Trademark

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."[1]

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 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.[17] Deckers have also registered the domain uggsnrugs.com,[18][19] 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.[19]

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.[20]

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, Koolaburra, and Real Australia.

In 2004, a Save our Aussie Icon campaign had been started through the internet by a number of Australian manufacturers following from recent legal proceedings.[21] Also the well-connected Australian Festival USA, Inc, is promoting Australian-made ugg boots and has taken up the fight to let the world know the difference between boots made in China and those made in Australia.[citation needed]

Ethical issues

At times, the production of ugg boots has been the subject of criticism due to concern about the ethical treatment of animals.

In 2007 Pamela Anderson realized that ugg boots were made of skin, writing on her website: "I thought they were shaved kindly? People like to tell me all the time that I started that trend — yikes! Well let's start a new one — do NOT buy Uggs! Buy Stella McCartney or juicy boots".[22]

In February 2008, the Princeton Animal Welfare Society staged a campus protest against the fur industry, particularly attacking the ugg boot industry, popular amongst male and female college students. "[S]tudents lay in the newly fallen snow on the Frist Campus Center’s North Front Lawn on Friday afternoon, feigning death, wearing coats covered with fake blood and sporting signs that read, 'What if you were killed for your coat?'"[23]

There have also been calls for the boycott of ugg boots and their replacement with viable alternatives.[citation needed]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Thompson, Ian (16 January 2006). "Decision of a Delegate of the Registrar of Trade Marks with Reasons" (PDF). IP Australia. Retrieved 17 November 2009.
  2. ^ a b c Grant, Lorrie (10 December 2003). "UGG boots a fashion kick". [[[USA Today]]. Retrieved 17 November 2009.
  3. ^ a b Terry, Andrew; Forrest, Heather (2008). "Where's the Beef? Why Burger King Is Hungry Jack's in Australia and Other Complications in Building a Global Franchise Brand". Northwestern Journal of International Law and Business, 2008. 28 (2): 188. ISSN 0196-3228.
  4. ^ a b "What's in a name?". Central Coast Express. Sydney, Australia. 9 March 2004. p. 20.
  5. ^ Gee, Steve (23 January 2004). "Uggly Americans — The Yanks steal another one of our beaut ideas". Daily Telegraph. Sydney, Australia. p. 7.
  6. ^ a b Burgess, Dave (12 July 2008). "An ugg boot is an ug boot is an ugh boot". The Dominion Post. Wellington, New Zealand. p. A17.
  7. ^ a b Marks, Kathy (17 February 2004). "There's no business like shoe business". The Independent. London, United Kingdom. Retrieved 17 November 2009.
  8. ^ Brown, Suzanne S. (21 December 2003). "Ooh, so comfy, but ugh! so hard to find". Chicago Tribune. p. 7B.
  9. ^ a b Grant, Sarah (28 February 2007). "Pammy puts the boot into her uggs". Daily Telegraph. Sydney, Australia. p. 3.
  10. ^ Higgins, Pamm (October 2001). "Booty Call". Los Angeles Magazine. 46 (10): 75. ISSN 1522-9149. "We always called them Uggs," Smith says, "long before it was a trademarked brand."
  11. ^ Marks, Kathy (17 February 2004). "There's no business like shoe business". The Independent. London, United Kingdom. Retrieved 17 November 2009. "We called them Uggs from the start," he says. "Although I recall other names such as 'woolly hoppers'."
  12. ^ Marks, Kathy (19 January 2006). "These boots are made for litigation". New Zealand Herald. Auckland, New Zealand. p. 33. Retrieved 18 November 2009.
  13. ^ a b Plant, Simon (22 February 2007). "Shake your booty". Herald Sun. Melbourne, Australia. p. W22.
  14. ^ "Kangaroo Tipped Ugg Boots". Eagle Wools. {{cite web}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Missing or empty |url= (help); Text "http://www.eaglewools.com.au/ugg-boots/boots/kangaroo-tipped-ugg-boots/" ignored (help)
  15. ^ "Fake Ugg Boots". Australian Sheepskin Association Inc. Retrieved 17 November 2009.
  16. ^ Needham, Kirsty (13 March 2004). "Putting the boot in". The Sydney Morning Herald. Sydney, Australia. p. 33. Retrieved 17 November 2009.
  17. ^ Decker Outdoor Corporations "uggsnrugs" web-site. Retrieved 25 September 2007.
  18. ^ On 25 September 2007, this web page read: "This website is operated by Deckers Outdoor Corporation. Deckers is not affiliated in any way with Uggs-N-Rugs, Kenwick, Western Australia. If you are looking for Uggs-N-Rugs, Kenwick, Western Australia, type 'uggs-n-rugs.com' into your browser."
  19. ^ a b Decker Outdoor Corporations "uggsnrugs" web-site
  20. ^ "Article on current trade mark controversy". Ip-brands.com. Retrieved 11 January 2010.
  21. ^ Save our Aussie Icon
  22. ^ "Pamela Anderson Learns Ugg Boots Made from Sheepskin, Speaks Out Against Them", Fox News, 28 February 2007.
  23. ^ "PAWS takes aim at Ugg boots", Daily Princetonian, 25 February 2008.

External links

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