Outerwear retailer Columbia Sportswear has sued Columbia College over alleged trademark infringement and a breach of contract, saying that the college’s merchandise seems too just like its personal choices and might confuse consumers.
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 Ivy League 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 and equipment.
As a part of the pact, the college might characteristic “Columbia” on its merchandise offered 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 mixture.
Columbia Sportswear clothes is bought at greater than 800 retail areas together with greater than 150 of its branded shops in addition to its web site and third-party marketplaces.
However Columbia Sportswear alleges the college breached the settlement just a little greater than a yr later, with the Portland, Oregon-based firm noticing a number of clothes with none of the varsity logos being bought on the Columbia College on-line retailer.
Lots of the clothes characteristic a shiny blue coloration that’s “confusingly similar” to the blue coloration that has lengthy been related to Columbia Sportswear, the swimsuit alleged.
The lawsuit provided pictures of a number of the Columbia College objects 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 help.
Final week, Columbia College reached a cope 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.
Underneath 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 bought and donate any remaining merchandise to charity. Columbia Sportswear can also be searching for 3 times the quantity of precise damages decided by a jury.
Neither Columbia Sportswear nor Columbia College may very well be instantly reached for remark.
