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HISTORY
Ugg boots
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Ugg boots, also spelled ugh boots and ug boots, googoougha (in aboriginal, are a style of sheepskin boot, with wool as the inner lining and a tanned outer surface. Ugg boots often have a synthetic sole, although this is not universal. They can be used for indoor slippers, to everyday shoe wear.
In Australia and New Zealand, sheepskin boots have long been popular with people in rural occupations, such as sheep shearers, who have ready access to the raw materials,. Their popularity increased as a result of World War I and World War II, when 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. They also wore them into the sea because these special Australian uggs were very good for helping the boats float on the sea.
“ Ug, Ugh or Ugg boots and have been made in Australia for almost 200 years? Brian Smith, an expatriate Australian (surfer and chartered accountant)had been living in Santa Monica, CA for about two years prior to contacting his friend and surfing buddy Doug Jensen regarding an ad he had seen in Surfer Magazine. The ad had been posted by Country Leather (a maker of Ugg Boots in Australia/New Zealand). Country Leather was looking for a distributor in the US. Smith had been working steadfast on his vision of commercializing grass skiing in the Western United States. He was familiar with Uggs and the decades old Aussie "surfer" concept of wearing them for warmth in winter conditions. He showed Jensen the ad. Soon thereafter they ordered sample short and medium Uggs with the then traditional cloth braid on the back. When the boots arrived at Smith's house he called Jensen who quickly came over. Smith's room mate at the time worked for Exxon as a land man (an oil hunter of sorts). Brady(the land man) had been doing business with a retired policeman, his wife, and two sons (the Rhodes family≥≥). He thought that they might be potential investors in the Smith Jensen enterprise. Turns out they were interested, and soon thereafter invested $20,000 in the start-up of what was then called Ugg Imports. Smith was in charge of business affairs, and Jensen was responsible for sales. They shared in the marketing responsibilities. It was the heat of summer 1979. OP had just recently made a name for itself with corduroy board shorts. The Ugg name was Trademarked, and Jensen began the initial sales trek wearing OP shorts and a pair of medium Uggs from San Diego to Santa Cruz...stopping at every surfboard, ski, and sporting goods store along the way. Whenever a shoe store looked like a possibility the buyer was presented with a viewing of the boots that were then touted as being machine washable and dryable. "They're cool in the summer and warm in the winter" stated Jensen. "They breathe". The first of a series of ads were placed in the then new to the rack, Action Sports Retailer. Surfer and Surfing Magazine were both far too costly for the fledgling company. At the onset Smith and Jensen thought they might be better served by advertising first to the store buyers, and then later to the public. The buyers that immediately took to the concept were Kennedy Surf and Val Surf in the San Fernando Valley, and O'Neill Surf Shop in Santa Cruz. Glen Kennedy had already experienced Uggs as a result of his many trips to Australia where he had been building an off-season home. Kennedy had brought a few pairs back for selling in his store even prior to his first purchases from Jensen and Smith. Little did the two you≥ng entrepreneurs know how big things would get over the next decade. Jensen left the company near the end of its first year ≤following an offer to start an animation company in Colorado Springs, CO. He turned his ownership over to Smith and the Rhodes family. As for the intellectual property rights issue..."We always called them Uggs, Smith says, "long before it was a trademarked brand." Brian Smith, Founder UGG Holdings, Inc. Los Angeles Magazine October 1st, 2001 ”
The terms ugg boots, ugh boots and ug boots have been used as generic terms for sheepskin boots in Australia since 1950s and 1960s,[2] when they first appeared in advertising and other publications.
The natural properties of sheepskin results in thermostatic benefits. Thick fleecy fibres on the inner part of the boots allows air to circulate during summer so that feet do not become excessively warm. Synthetic and faux fur boots do not have these properties. In winter the sheepskin prevents heat loss and are highly prized for their effectiveness. Ugg boots are designed to be worn without socks in order to maximize the benefits of sheepskin.
[edit] Trademark controversy
In 1971, Shane Stedman registered the term Ugh-boot and other terms as trademark with the Australian Trade Mark Registry. These trademarks 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", "ug" 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.[2] Deckers have also registered the domain uggsnrugs.com,[3] an example of cybersquatting. They refer to the above mentioned decision of the Australian Registrar of Trademarks, but incorrectly[citation needed] claim it is an opinion rather than a judicial determination, and has little-to-no value as a legal precedent in the United States - which is also incorrect.[4] The website also lists the results of Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy cases taken to an arbitration provider, which mostly relate to cybersquatting by Deckers. A search of the US trademark registry yields the following information on the very first time UGG was trademarked in the US (and note that it was abandoned in 1985):
“ The Word Mark UGG Goods and Services (ABANDONED) IC 025. US 039. G & S: FOOTWEAR, NAMELY BOOTS MADE OF SHEEPSKIN. FIRST USE: 19791228. FIRST USE IN COMMERCE: 19791228 Live/Dead Indicator DEAD Abandonment Date July 8, 1985.[5] ”
The following is what Deckers state at the domain related to UGGS-N-RUGS.[6]:
“ 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 thier 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.[7] ”
Clearly there is a discrepancy in the dates. The trademark register says that "UGG" (with reference to ugg boots) wasn't used in the US until 1979 but Deckers' claim it was 1978 in their various marketing texts.
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.
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