Australian ugg-boot maker forced to rebrand after trademark battle with American rival

• An Australian ugg-boot company has rebranded as Since 1974 after a legal battle with a US giant.
• Deckers Outdoor Corporation owns the Ugg trademark in more than 130 countries.
• For many Australians, "ugg" is a generic term for sheepskin boots rather than a brand name.

An Australian ugg-boot company has changed its brand for foreign customers following a lengthy legal battle with an American rival.

Ugg Since 1974 is owned by Australian Leather and was sued by Deckers Outdoor Corporation for its use of "ugg."

Now, after almost 10 years since the legal battle began, it's been forced to rebrand as Since 1974 for customers outside Australia.

The American brand Ugg, founded in 1978, was acquired by Deckers Outdoor Corporation in 1995 for $14.6 million. Ugg sells the products most US consumers associate with the term "ugg boots."

But in Australia, "ugg" is more a generic term for a style of sheepskin shoe first popularized by surfers since the 1960s than a brand name.

Dozens of companies in Australia and New Zealand have trademarks containing the word "ugg," which is why many in the region take issue with Deckers' ownership of the trademark in more than 130 countries.

Australian Leather brought a lawsuit to remove a trademark for "ugg" and keep it as a generic term.

"This is not just about me; it is about Australia taking back 'ugg,'" Eddie Oygur, the owner of Australian Leather, told The New York Times in 2021. "The trademark should never have been given in the first place to the US."

But the case was rejected by a federal appeals court that year.

Todd Watts, the owner of Since 1974, announced the rebranding on his TikTok account on Monday.

"We've been proudly making Australian boots for over five decades and three generations, and we also own the trademark here in Australia, New Zealand, where the boots originated, where ugg boots originated," Watts said. "But the Decker lawsuit has made it hard to share our story and our boots with everyone else within the world."

Watts added it was "extremely hard to fight a lawsuit against a multibillion-dollar company, especially as a family-owned Australian-made business."

The video has amassed 2.4 million views and generated passionate responses from some customers. Some said they didn't know there were so many companies making ugg boots, and others said they would order only from Since 1974 now.

"I've been telling everyone to only buy Ugg since 1974 and NOT US Ugg. ❤️" one viewer wrote.

"I always wondered how Uggs were sold so cheaply and now I know why!" wrote another, echoing other viewers' thoughts that Since 74 sold higher-quality products. "Will buy me a pair of Since 74s from now on!"

Watts said in his video that nothing would change except the brand's name.

"Our roots are still the same, our quality is still the same, the product is still the same, and more importantly, our story is still the same," he said. "We are the original, and we will still be the original no matter what our label says on the back of our boots. It isn't just about boots, it's about resilience."

Deckers is valued at $31 billion after its stock soared 70% in the past 12 months. It also owns brands such as Hoka and Teva.

Deckers Outdoor Corporation and Since 74 didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.

Correction: January 14, 2025 — An earlier version of this story misstated the year Deckers Outdoor Corporation acquired Ugg. It was 1995, not 2005.