Deckers loses infringement lawsuit against Quince over Ugg ‘dupes’

Deckers Outdoor Corp has lost a high-profile lawsuit against Quince over look-alike iterations of Uggs’ Australian shearling boots.

A federal jury in California found that while Quince’s boots may have infringed on Deckers’ design patent, the patent itself was invalid due to functional, indefinite, and obvious design characteristics.

Deckers had first sued Quince back in 2023 over allegations of infringement for US Patent No. D927,161, a design patent that covers object designs instead of inventions, this one specifically in relation to the Ugg Classic Ultra Mini boot.

This latest decision is another blow to Deckers in this long-running dispute. The apparel group, which also owns Hoka and Teva, had previously brought trademark-related claims against Quince earlier in the legal battle.

Last year, however, a US district judge determined the Ugg design was too generic for trade dress protection.

Quince then filed an antitrust lawsuit against Deckers in February, accusing the Ugg owner of attempting to claim an improper monopoly over basic, category-wide footwear features like rounded toes and thick soles.