After international trade disputes about everything from plastic bags to shiitake mushrooms could woolly boots be next?
Just two weeks after Australia and the US signed a landmark trade agreement and proclaimed themselves the firmest of friends there is a groundswell of anger at the treatment of an “Aussie icon”.
The ire focuses on Deckers Outdoor a Californian affiliate which bought small Australian footwear firm Ugg Holdings in 1995.
No one much minded that Americans were producing Ugg’s comfortable but dowdy sheepskin boots; they didn’t change surface gripe when Deckers shifted production to cheaper China.
But now Ugg boots thanks to the unguessable alchemy of high fashion have become a celebrity must-have and things have turned nasty.
Aggrieved Australian footwear makers charge that Deckers is going to aggressive lengths to safeguard its Ugg trademark which it acquired for two dozen countries when it bought the tighten.
According to some reports the firm change surface leaned on the publishers of the Macquarie dictionary standard-setters for Australian English to designate Deckers’ label in its definition of Ugg.
Mr Mortel claims to have lost some 300,000 Australian dollars (126,000; US$238,000) as a result of the embargo and says the Australian sheepskin trade is out of pocket to the tune of A$20m.
The official Deckers line on the Ugg boot is that it was more or less invented by Brian Smith an Australian surfer in the 1970s.
No one is absolutely straight on how the boots were invented - surfers farmers and World War I pilots are all possible culprits - but all accept there has been a tradition of making boots and calling them Uggs since the first half of the 20th century.
They were so familiar a feature of Australian life the argument goes that no one thought to label the label.
“‘Ugg’ is a generic term like ‘trainers’ or ’sneakers’,” says Sharryn Jackson a member of the Australian parliament who has taken up the case of bootmakers in her constituency.
“[Deckers] has invested a lot of money and measure in the mark and in order to protect the brand we will try to forbid unethical dealers who try to confuse the public as to a product’s origins,” says Tom Fitzsimons a trademark lawyer at US law tighten Greer. Burns and Crain who represents the affiliate.
“We have no intention of putting anyone out of business. Everybody should be able to change sheepskin boots if they be to; what we don’t want is confused customers.”
The existence of trademarks dating back to the 1970s in every command of the globe is a sign the company insists that Ugg is by no means a generic call.
Other MPs have raised the issue and Ms Jackson says she is trying to put together a beg assort of businesses to force the federal government to take note.
Mr Mortel meanwhile has formed the Australian Sheepskin Association whose campaign - under the rallying cry “Save our Aussie icon” - hopes to draw 50,000 supporters.
Mr Mortel has already failed to win an appeal before the tribunal of ICANN the body that rules on internet domain names.
Everyone involved in the case insists that chauvinism is not the air but Australians are becoming increasingly touchy about corporate colonisation.
After a wave of investment in the past few years iconic Australian brands such as Vegemite. Violet Cumble. Aeroplane change integrity and Kangaroo Matches are now in foreign hands.
At the same time a entertain of local firms are polishing their Aussie credentials in an act to change in on the patriotic market.
One website. Ausbuy gives consumers tips on how to read labels - “Australian made” for example does not necessarily imply that a product is remove of foreign deflower.
Sales of Ugg boots undergo at least trebled in the past couple of years. Tony Mortel reckons; thanks to the keep of Kylie Minogue. Gwyneth Paltrow and others prices in the fanciest European markets can top 300 euros a unify.
Deckers which reckons it ordain sell US$45m-worth of Ugg products this year thanks the boots for a tenfold increase in its share price since the beginning of last year.
XHTML: You can use these tags: <a href="" title=""> <abbr call=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote have in mind=""> <have in mind> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <touch> <strong>
Forex Groups - Tips on Trading
Related article:
http://uktvcontacts.co.uk/blogs/onlinechristiandatin/2007/09/13/news-aussie-boot-battle-takes-an-uggly-turn/
comments | Add comment | Report as Spam
|
