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‘Extremely hard’: Why Ugg Since 1974 announced an overseas name change amid a trademark lawsuit

Ugg Since 1974 said it would use Since 74 on footwear sold outside Australia and New Zealand amid a lawsuit by Deckers. The available court order did not require a rebrand.
From TheFinanceBase Team3 min to read
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Ugg Since 1974 said in January 2025 that it would use the name Since 74 on footwear sent outside Australia and New Zealand, while continuing to use Ugg Since 1974 at home. The company announced the change amid a lawsuit by US footwear company Deckers Outdoor Corporation; the available court order does not show that a judge required the rebrand.

What name will the company use, and where?

The name depends on the market, according to the company’s January 2025 announcement as reported by PerthNow:

Market Announced name What the report says
Australia and New Zealand Ugg Since 1974 The company said it would continue using this name and said it held the local trademark.
Outside Australia and New Zealand Since 74 The company said footwear leaving those markets would transition to the Since 74 branding.

This is a market-specific branding decision, not evidence that the business has changed ownership or stopped making its boots. Todd Watts, the owner, told PerthNow that “Nothing else changes.” The report says the company described the footwear, workshop, sheepskin and craftspeople as staying the same; those are company statements, not independent product testing.

Why did Ugg Since 1974 announce the change?

Watts linked the decision to the cost and difficulty of fighting Deckers in court and to the company’s aim of selling and telling its story internationally. PerthNow quoted him saying, “It’s extremely hard to fight a lawsuit against a multi-billion dollar company, especially as a family-owned Australian-made business.” The statement conveys the owner’s explanation; the cited coverage does not provide a financial breakdown of the lawsuit’s costs.

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PerthNow describes Ugg Since 1974 as a family-owned business founded in 1974 by Todd Watts’ grandparents, Arthur and Faye Springthorpe, with three generations involved. That reported history helps explain why the owner framed the legal burden in terms of a family business facing a much larger opponent. It does not, by itself, establish the company’s finances or the resources available to either side in the litigation.

Was the company forced by a court to change its name?

The evidence cited for the announcement supports saying the company chose to transition its overseas branding amid a lawsuit, not that a court ordered it to change its name. PerthNow reported the company’s decision and its stated reasons. The available court record is a procedural order, not a final ruling on trademark liability.

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On April 28, 2025, the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois issued a memorandum opinion and order in Deckers Outdoor Corporation v. Wolverine Group Pty Ltd, Case No. 1:24-cv-03164. It granted in part and denied in part Deckers’ motion to compel jurisdiction-related discovery. That order concerns what information could be sought in connection with jurisdiction; it does not decide whether infringement occurred or require a rebrand.

The case record names Deckers as plaintiff and Wolverine Group Pty Ltd, Wild Wool Australia, Wild Wool Productions, Wild Wool Retail, Todd Michael Watts and Does as defendants; Wild Wool Productions is identified as a counter-plaintiff. The order describes Deckers’ allegations, not findings that those allegations were true.

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Why does the trademark dispute depend on geography?

PerthNow reports that “ugg” is used in Australia as a generic term for fleece-lined sheepskin boots. It also says Deckers owns UGG trademarks in numerous other countries and reports that Ugg Since 1974 claimed a local trademark position in Australia and New Zealand. Those descriptions explain the geographic tension, but they are not a complete survey of trademark registrations, rights or current sales in every country.

A name can be treated differently across markets because trademark rights are territorial. The report’s account should therefore not be read as proving that either business has an identical right to use “ugg” worldwide. Deckers’ position in the case is an assertion by the plaintiff unless and until established by a final ruling or other resolution.

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What is Since 74?

Since 74 is the overseas name Ugg Since 1974 announced for its footwear. It is a new label for the same Australian company’s boots, according to the company’s account reported by PerthNow—not a separate footwear company identified in the cited coverage. The business said its products and makers would remain the same through the transition.

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What is known about the case now?

As of October 8, 2026, the sources available for this account do not establish a final judgment, settlement, appeal outcome or comprehensive current picture of trademark registrations and sales. The latest court document identified here is dated April 28, 2025, and is limited to jurisdiction-related discovery. It cannot establish who ultimately prevailed or the present worldwide scope of either business’s rights.

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