Lululemon is accusing Costco of violating his intellectual property selling imitations of some of his most popular products.
A lawsuit filed in a California court recently alleges that Costco sells “deceit” of Lululemon sweatshirts and sweatshirts, define jackets and ABC pants.
Some of the supposed Fakes Identified, based in Vancouver, identified, are sold under the private label of Costco, Kirkland, but others are made by Danskin, Jockey and Spyder manufacturers.
“Some customers incorrectly believe that these offending products are a compensation for authentic Lululemon, while other customers specifically buy offenders because they are difficult to distinguish from the authentic products of Lululemon, particularly for buyers or observers downstream,” says the demand.
Lululemon alleges that these scenarios take advantage of the patents it possesses, as well as the reputation and good will that has built with customers.
In his presentation of the 49 -page court, Lululemon says he tried to address the deceptions by sending letters of cessation and withdrawal of Costco, but that he is now asking a court that intervenes.
The documents obtained by CBC reveal the internal functioning of an alleged robbery ring that runs the Lululemon stores in the low continent. As Jason Proctor reports, he allegedly involved multiple parts, where supervisors ordered subordinates to loot stores.
Lululemon has requested that the matter be heard by a jury trial, which wants to order Costco to stop manufacturing, importing, marketing and selling supposed misleading.
He also wants the washington with headquarters to eliminate any instance in which online assumptions or printing, and asks the court to demand at Costco to cover the lost profits that Lululemon incurred the products.
“As a company led by innovation that invests significantly in the research, development and design of our products, we assume the responsibility of protecting and enforcing our intellectual property rights very serious and following the appropriate legal action when necessary,” said a spokesman for Lululemon to CBC News in a statement sent by email.
Costco did not immediately respond to a request for comments. You still have to present a response to Lululemon’s demand.
Elizabeth Dipchand, an intellectual property lawyer and partner manager of Dipchand LLP who is not involved in this case, says he understands why Lululemon has taken legal actions. While similar and falsified low -level products have existed forever, she says that there is generally not so much money at stake.
“[Costco is not a] Falsified manufacturer from abroad that drips in counterfeit bags and … shoes and all kinds of other products. This is a well -known multinational with significant bricks and mortars that affect the final result of another very, well -known company of a higher and higher price, “Dipchand said.
The demand also details certain design details of some of their clothes, such as the lines in the chest and the back of the defined jacket, which Lululemon says that they are only their intellectual property.
The detail of the stripes may seem a small detail for some, but Dipchand says that this type of details of the firm mean a lot in the world of intellectual property.
“What Lululemon says is that [those lines are] So recognizable now, that it is associated with our reputation … and that guarantees protection, “Dipchand said.
The dupes have become incredibly popular in recent years as buyers seek to deal with inflation and a global commercial war when looking for products that mimic the brand’s original. The phenomenon has gained online traction in particular, with social media accounts that share the best deceptions they have found. While imitation cosmetics are especially popular, Lululemon has also become a goal because it sells their sports wear at higher prices, which some customers find unattainable.
Dipchand says that companies are worrying more about the growing deception market. And if we see more demands like this one after Dupes will depend on how deeply it reduces the results of the companies.
Lululemon has tried to return the coup to the deceptions in the past. In 2023, the company made a “swap dupe”, encouraging customers to bring similar versions of its popular Pants Align and change it for a real version of the Lululemon brand.
The demand occurs weeks after Lululemon said he would try to resist new and possibly incoming rates with price increases that will be “of a modest nature” and will apply only to a “small” portion of their products.
The brand has been working to recover from the lack of novelty that disappointed consumers last year and early. The novelty, how the products and styles of a brand appear to consumers, is one of the key ways in which retailers attract customers.
