Aussie battler wants help after US giant sinks in the Ugg boot
AN AUSTRALIAN businessman has lost his appeal against a US clothing giant over using the term ugg boots for his sheepskin products.
Western Sydney shoemaker Eddie Oygur has been fighting outdoor clothing retailer Deckers for five years after the US company trademarked the term “Ugg” in the US and more than 100 other countries.
After a Chicago court ruled against him in 2019 and ordered him to pay legal costs, Mr Oygur appealed to the Federal Court in Washington DC.
His Australia-based lawyers argued last week that the term ugg boot was widely used in Australia and should not have been trademarked, but his appeal has been struck down. The court ruled against Mr Oygur on Friday, local time, and he is now taking his case to the US Supreme Court.
“Eddie will still fight,” said lawyer Nick Xenophon, who called on the federal government to support Mr Oygur’s legal challenge.
“For Eddie to have a fighting chance he needs the Australian (government) to get behind him. This is about standing up for an iconic Australian creation and symbol, the ugg boot, and the fact that it should never have been trademarked in the US. Does that mean didgeridoo can be trademarked in America?”
Mr Xenophon said Mr Oygur had been forced to cut his staff from 80 to a “handful” after Deckers stopped his business Australian Leather from exporting sheepskin ugg boots.
“He’s fought this all on his own and he’s funding this appeal one ugg boot at a time,” Mr Xenophon said.
Mr Oygur said the battle had cost him more than $1.5m.
“This is not just about me; it is about Australia taking back ‘Ugg’,” he said in a statement. “The trademark should never have been given in the first place to the US.”