The Good, the Bad, and the Uggly
NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 23: UGG boots on display at an event introducing Hailey Baldwin for UGG Classic Street on August 23, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for UGG) Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for UGG hide caption
NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 23: UGG boots on display at an event introducing Hailey Baldwin for UGG Classic Street on August 23, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for UGG)
Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for UGGUgg. Just the word itself conjures the scent of pumpkin spice lattes, the sounds of leaves rustling, the feel of an autumn breeze.
But that word - ugg - is also at the center of an international trademark dispute between one Australian businessman named Eddie Oygur and the Deckers Outdoor Corporation, which owns the Ugg brand. Because, for Australians, "ugg" is not just a particular brand of boot. It is a generic category of footwear, like cowboy boots or flip flops. And when Deckers took Eddie to court for trademark infringement after he sold 12 pairs of boots to American customers online, Eddie decided he was going to fight back hard.
It's the story of how Ugg went from a cozy niche in the world of footwear to an icon of basic culture, and what it tells us about this system where everyday words can be fenced off as private property and the force threatening every trademark in existence.
This episode was produced by Willa Rubin and mastered by Debbie Daughtry. It was edited by Jess Jiang.
Music: "Pyramid Thoughts" "Sneaky Eyes" and "Mambo Dramedy."
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