In a new lawsuit, Patagonia has accused Nordstrom of selling imitations of its clothing and is suing the company.
The lawsuit, which was filed in a Los Angeles District Court, claims that the department store retailer is peddling “thousands of counterfeit Patagonia sweatshirts and T-shirts” through its Nordstrom Rack network. The selling of these knockoff products, which have bogus Patagonia labels on them, harms the reputation of the outdoor company’s brand and deceives customers about the calibre of the goods they are purchasing, claims Patagonia.
“These counterfeit products prey on Patagonia’s reputation, misleading customers into buying poor quality products that were, on information and belief, made in factories with conditions that do not meet Fair Trade Certified requirements,” the suit alleged.
In the past, Nordstrom and Patagonia had an agreement for the retail sale of the clothing line. The fake goods were found in 2023, according to Patagonia, after the company recently chose not to renew the contract. Nordstrom is being sued by Patagonia for copyright violations, trademark infringement, unfair competition, and counterfeiting.
Before initiating a case, Patagonia stated that it had previously requested that Nordstrom recall the goods.
It’s not the first time Patagonia has filed a lawsuit to combat imitation goods. The business filed a lawsuit against Gap, Inc. in November, alleging that the retailer sold replicas of its Snap-T pullover fleece that had a rectangular design that was “highly similar” to its “P-6” mountain skyline mark, which was originally used in 1973. The outdoor firm also stated in the lawsuit that these Gap products were made to “apparently” imply that Patagonia was the manufacturer of Gap’s goods, had worked together with Gap, or had given permission for Gap to use its trademark and trade dress.
Furthermore, Patagonia sued Walmart for trademark infringement, copyright infringement, and unfair competition in October. In the case, Patagonia claimed that both Walmart and the lifestyle clothing company Robin Ruth USA, based in New York, created and sold clothing with what Patagonia described as “nearly identical” replicas of its P-6 Trout logo and artwork, substituting the term “Montana” for the “Patagonia” trademark.
