Canada Goose Sues Sears Over ‘Trademark Infringement’

KEY POINTS AT A GLANCE

1)  Canada Goose Inc. is bringing Sears to court and accusing Sears the department store of selling knockoff versions of their signature parka.

2) In response, a spokesman from Sears said the company considers the lawsuit to be “frivolous” and “without merit.”

3) In the lawsuit, the company called itself a “Canadian success story.”

The company accuses Sears of selling knockoffs of their signature jackets

Mara Paolantonio, Staff Writer

Canada Goose Inc. is bringing Sears to court and accusing Sears the department store of selling knockoff versions of their signature parka. The company alleges that Sears is passing these jackets off as Canada Goose products. “Sears is purposely intending to mislead current and potential consumers into believing they are purchasing a ‘lower end’ Canada Goose jacket that is intended for sale at Sears,” wrote Canada Goose in its claim.

A consumer was confused upon seeing the similar Sears jacket and their complaint made Canada Goose aware of the situation. As a result, the company is demanding Federal Court to stop Sears from selling the coat which closely resembles its “Kensington” coat, a red three-quarter length coat with a fur trimmed hood. Canada Goose is also accusing Sears of selling another brand of jackets for it violates its trademarks. The lawsuit plans to demonstrate that these Weather Gear jackets, similar in design to the Sears jackets, also have a circular logo on the upper shoulder of the jacket sleeves, like Canada Goose apparel.  In response, a spokesman from Sears said the company considers the lawsuit to be “frivolous” and “without merit.”

“Our brand is quite distinct from theirs and there is no confusion between the two whatsoever,” spokesman Vincent Power said in a statement. “There are quite a few brands out there that use their logo in a circle and Canada Goose cannot claim they invented that.”

Last year, Canada Goose sued International Clothiers, alleging that it purposely designed a logo and positioned it on jackets to imitate the Canada Goose Arctic Program design trademark. In its defense, the company claimed its jackets “have come to enjoy enormous consumer recognition in Canada and abroad.”

The lawsuit was later settled for an undisclosed amount in January of 2012.  According to the figures, Canada Goose has sold more than $225 million in coats and accessories which totals to about 600,000 items across Canada since 2005. In the lawsuit, the company called itself a “Canadian success story.”

Mara Paolantonio recently graduated from York University’s Bachelor of Arts program where she studied Italian and Communication Studies. She wrote and edited for the Excalibur, York University’s newspaper and wrote for Panoram Italia. You can find her at www.feminismandtechnology.weebly.com and on twitter at @82Mara.

Photo courtesy to Metronews.ca & The Dwndclothing Journal