Iconic Australian brand ‘UGG since 1974’ forced to change its name amid legal fight with American giant [Video]

17:46 EST 16 Jan 2025, updated 20:48 EST 16 Jan 2025

Iconic Aussie brand UGG Since 1974 will be forced to change its name after a footwear giant in the United States launched legal action. 

The brand will have to drop ‘UGG’ from the ‘UGG Since 1974’ name after Deckers Outdoor Corporation bought the rights from Australian entrepreneur Brian Smith. 

Mr Smith registered the name in the US in the 1970s, around the same time the sheepskin products were launched by an Australian couple on the east coast. 

Arthur and Faye Watts started handcrafting the sheepskin products in a small shed in a coastal town in New South Wales, where they quickly gained popularity. 

Their grandson, Tod Watts, acquired UGG Since 1974 in the 1990s and now owns and operates the family business with his wife Hannah in the Gold Coast. 

‘We’re being sued by Deckers Outdoor Corporation,’ Mr Watts said in a video shared to social media …