Ugg Maker Hit With Antitrust Suit Alleging Exclusionary Legal Tactics

According to Bloomberg, Last Brand Inc., which operates under the name Quince, filed the complaint on February 20 in the US District Court for the Northern District of California. The suit alleges that Deckers has initiated “hundreds” of cases over the years asserting what Quince calls “unprotectable, unregistered product-design trade dresses as an exclusionary weapon” to block competitors and maintain its grip on the market.

Quince contends that for more than a decade Deckers has recycled similar infringement allegations tied to the look and feel of its popular Ugg products. Per Bloomberg, the complaint argues that these repeated filings are strategically structured to force defendants into costly discovery battles, leveraging the fact-intensive nature of trade dress litigation to pressure settlements.

The lawsuit centers on what Quince defines as the US “Sheepskin Casual Footwear Market,” where it claims Deckers holds more than 50% market share. According to Bloomberg, Quince alleges that Deckers uses trade dress litigation to “eliminate or marginalize competing products,” describing the pattern of lawsuits as an attempt at monopolization.

The complaint asserts that “each successful enforcement action entrenches Deckers’ position,” allowing the company to command prices “typically 50% to 100% higher than competing products.” It further claims that “prices are elevated because Deckers’ exclusion of lower-priced competitors removes downward pricing pressure.” The filing adds that “when lower-priced alternatives are removed through sham litigation pressure, consumers face narrower choice sets skewed toward Deckers’ higher-priced products.”

The dispute builds on earlier litigation between the two companies. In a prior case, the Northern District of California determined that the trade dress claims covering the UGG Tasman slipper and the Classic Ultra Mini boot were “generic and unprotectable.” Despite that ruling, Quince alleges that Deckers “immediately filed dozens of new lawsuits recycling the same invalidated five-feature definition.”

Per Bloomberg, Quince claims Deckers has submitted at least 40 similar pleadings since October 2025, arguing that the continued filings reinforce its theory that the company is attempting to preserve dominance through litigation rather than product differentiation.

Deckers has not publicly responded to the new allegations. The case adds another chapter to an ongoing legal battle over the boundaries of trade dress protection and the competitive dynamics within the sheepskin footwear market.

Source: Bloomberg