Quince scores partial win against Deckers in Ugg dispute

A federal judge has granted luxury label Quince a partial victory in its ongoing legal battle with Deckers Outdoor Corporation, the parent company of Ugg boots. The US District Court for the Northern District of California ruled that two of Deckers’ claimed Ugg trade dresses, the Classic Ultra Mini and the Tasman, are generic and therefore not protectable under trademark law. The decision dismisses Deckers’ related trade dress and unfair competition claims.

The case, filed in 2023, questioned whether Quince’s Australian Shearing footwear infringed upon Deckers’ Ugg designs and a design patent. Deckers alleged that Quince copied the look of several Ugg styles, while Quince argued that these designs were longstanding, industry-wide styles that could not be monopolised.

In its October 2025 filing, the court agreed in part with Quince, finding that both the Ugg Classic Ultra Mini and Tasman designs are “so common in the industry” that they cannot serve as identifiers of a single brand. The judge cited evidence showing more than a dozen competitors offering similar products, concluding that Deckers failed to prove its designs were distinctive.

The court has also denied Deckers’ motion for summary judgment in full and barred the company from seeking lost profits damages related to its remaining patent claim. However, Deckers’ design patent infringement claim involving its US Patent No. D927,161 and trade dress claim for the Bailey Button Boot remain active, leaving parts of the dispute unresolved.

The ruling may carry broader implications for the fashion and footwear industry, where the line between “timeless” and “trademarkable” design is often blurred. By reinforcing that widely used product features cannot be monopolised under trade dress law, the decision could influence how brands pursue and defend intellectual property claims in future design disputes.