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Ugg history
There is an old Australian legend about a surfer who once fashioned himself a pair of boots from merino sheepskin to protect his wet feet from the freezing ocean winds. His girlfriend took one look at those boots and proclaimed: "Ugly!" But the cold ocean breeze carried away her words, and all the surfer heard was: "Ugg...". And, thus, off he went, all the while wearing his boots.
Many years later, in 1971, another Australian surfer (possibly even a distant relative of the first one) made one of the smartest decisions in his life - to register the UGG trademark. By then, UGGs were commonplace across Australia, and the name itself was used by the locals to refer to those popular merino sheepskin boots. Having protected himself with the registered trademark rights, the enterprising surfer began selling those UGGs to the general public. (For all we know, he might still be selling them to this day.)
UGGs came to worldwide fame in 1979, when an American tourist bought a pair of the eponymous boots from the enterprising surfer and brought then home. There he closely examined his purchase, gave it some thought and registered a company by the name of UGG Holdings, Inc. Subsequently, he gave it another thought and decided to register the UGG trademark in 25 countries around the world, including Australia. Finally, in 1995 he sold the UGG trademark to American-based Deckers Outdoor Corporation. Merely a year later, Deckers Outdoor Corporation initiated law suits against more than 20 Australian UGG boot manufacturers, sending out cease and desist letters to prevent them from using the UGG name in their product description and marketing.
Australian UGG boot manufacturers were indignant, and rightfully so! They were the ones, after all, who had created both the shoe and the name, both of which have been in use for decades – and now they are being told they can no longer use the name UGG?! It's akin to preventing someone from using everyday words, such as "automobile" or "jeans"! In order to channel their indignation productively, Australian UGG manufacturers got together to create the Australian Sheepskin Association. Its member companies produce their goods in Australia, using exclusively Australian merino sheepskin/ leather.
After a lengthy court battle, Australian Sheepskin Association held its own and prevented Deckers Outdoor Corporation from controlling the use of the term “UGG” in Australia. Therefore, Australian-made sheepskin boots are still called UGGs, just as they have been for decades.
Nonetheless, Deckers Outdoor Corporation prevailed in restricting the use of the term “UGG” for merchandise sold in other countries, outside of Australia. Therefore, U.S. and European sheepskin producers must use a different term to describe their wares.
One must give Deckers Outdoor Corporation some credit - they are, after all, responsible for UGGs’ tremendous popularity around the world. Thanks to their excellent marketing strategy and quality merchandise, the name “UGG” will forever be associated with Australia, and UGG boots have become a wardrobe mainstay, especially in those regions that are once in a while hit by wintry weather.
In our online store, at www.crazysheep.com, we sell goods from companies that are members of the Australian Sheepskin Association, such as Ugg Mortels® and Blue Mountains Ugg Boots.® We also feature a selection of goods produced abroad by Australian manufacturers and from Australian raw materials. Thus, you will find an excellent selection of quality products from Ozwear Connection UGG®.
We are confident that you will find something for yourself and your loved ones in our store. And the UGG logo will always remind you about our warm and friendly home - Australia.
