Letter to the Editor
Ugg Boots
For the US company to claim UGG boots is their name is baloney, back in the 1950’s UGG boots were made in Victoria by a local bloke originally called RUG boots because they were made from the off-cuts of old sheepskin and cowhide rugs. The old rugs were worn out from foot traffic but there were always sections that were OK, so he made little kids warm winter slipper-boots out them, and later bigger kids boots then adults. As they were made from off cuts of rugs, they were called Ruggies— put you warm Ruggies on, on a cold night.
The little ones learning words called them Uggies so were told to get their Uggies on to keep their toes warm, the little kids would tell dad to put his Uggies on. This word was used widely and the old bloke who made them had Uggies on the sign in the window, as it was a bit off the mark for older people he abbreviated them to a more suitable name in common use and called them Ugg boots on the window sign. So, I guess by law he held copyright on the name, from there it became a nationally known word and identifier of the sheepskin boots and slippers.
Ugg boots is a a national word used since the early 1950’s, by common usage it is public property and does not belong to anyone other than the Australian people, next we will likely see some smart aleck US company trade mark “G’day Mate”, so we have to pay to use it. Time the Australian Government told the US, Ugg Boots are an Australian national word used for over half a century, it belongs to us and we will not accept, recognize or tolerate any US acts of theft —Bugger off.
Cheers
Gil May
Forestdale
Queensland
Talk about comfy – For your LOL moment
When a liberal becomes a conservative – transpolitical LOL
I went to a sheepskin shop years ago and asked after Ugg Boots and was told that an American Company had the Copyright for the name and the Aussie ones were called something else now.
The problem was that Ugg boots were not registered as a name brand specific to Australia and some clever American grabbed the name and registered as their own and started to begin prosecution proceedings against the Aussie Company for misrepresenting “their” brand, by calling our Uggies their brand name, so that was the end of that.
The problem these days is that if you come up with a name, or invent something new, if you don’t register that thing quickly, some other person potentially will do it for you and they will own the copyright of your thing and freeze you out, because whatever it is, is their product now.
Richard
Amen. Tell the US and any foreign entity to get stuffed!