For many years, T-shirts, sweatshirts and different clothes below the Columbia Sportswear model and clothes emblazoned with the Columbia College title coexisted kind of peacefully with out confusion.
However now, the Portland-based out of doors retailer has sued the New York-based college over alleged trademark infringement and a breach of contract, amongst different prices.
It claims that the college’s merchandise seems too much like what’s being offered at greater than 800 retail places together with greater than 150 of its branded shops in addition to its web site and third-party marketplaces.
In a lawsuit filed July 23 within the U.S. District Courtroom for the District of Oregon, Columbia Sportswear, whose roots date again to 1938, alleges that the college deliberately violated an settlement the events signed on June 13, 2023.
That settlement dictated how the college might use the phrase “Columbia” by itself attire.
As a part of the pact, the college might characteristic “Columbia” on its merchandise supplied that the title included a recognizable faculty insignia or its mascot, the phrase “university,” the title of the educational division or the founding yr of the college — 1754 — or a mix.
However Columbia Sportswear alleges the college breached the settlement a bit greater than a yr later, with the corporate noticing a number of clothes with none of the college logos being offered on the Columbia College on-line retailer.
Lots of the clothes characteristic a vivid blue coloration that’s “confusingly similar” to the blue coloration that has lengthy been related to Columbia Sportswear, the go well with alleged.
The lawsuit supplied pictures of a few of the Columbia College gadgets that say solely Columbia.
“The likelihood of deception, confusion, and mistake engendered by the university’s misappropriation and misuse of the Columbia name is causing irreparable harm to the brand and goodwill symbolized by Columbia Sportswear’s registered mark Columbia and the reputation for quality it embodies,” the lawsuit alleged.
The lawsuit comes at a time when Columbia College has been threatened with the potential lack of billions of {dollars} in authorities assist.
Final week, Columbia College reached a deal with the Trump administration to pay greater than $220 million to the federal authorities to revive federal analysis cash that was canceled within the title of combating antisemitism on campus.
Below the settlement, the Ivy League faculty pays a $200 million settlement over three years, the college mentioned.
Columbia Sportswear goals to cease all gross sales of clothes that violate the settlement, recall any merchandise already offered and donate any remaining merchandise to charity.
Columbia Sportswear can also be in search of thrice the quantity of precise damages decided by a jury.
Neither Columbia Sportswear or Columbia College couldn’t be instantly reached for remark.
