Lululemon has filed a lawsuit towards Costco, accusing the megaretailer of promoting “dupes” of its popular athletic wear that had been so comparable they might trigger “confusion, mistake, and deception” amongst its customers.
The complaint, filed within the U.S. District Court docket for the Central District of California, lists a collection of allegedly offending Costco merchandise — amongst them yoga jackets, hoodies, and athletic pants. Lululemon claims that Costco infringed on its trademark and patents on the gadgets.
The athleisure model additionally alleges that one of many bulk provider’s functions in promoting the gadgets is to “confuse” its clients into believing they’re genuine Lululemon merchandise. The corporate stated Costco has not tried to “dispel the anomaly.”
The clothes firm cited articles by The New York Times and the Washington Post that analyzed whether or not sure Costco gadgets had been “dupes” of Lululemon merchandise at a dramatically cheaper price level.
Costco didn’t instantly return a request for remark.
In an announcement to CNN, Lululemon stated “we take the duty of defending and imposing our mental property rights very critically and pursue the suitable authorized motion when obligatory.”
The athletic model is searching for a jury trial and has requested the retail big to stop selling the products. The corporate can be searching for an unspecified quantity in financial damages.
Lululemon beforehand sued Peloton in 2021, claiming the train bike firm was promoting “copycat merchandise” of its bra line. The 2 firms in the end settled, with Peloton agreeing to section out sure designs.
Two years later, the businesses announced a five-year partnership that included Lululemon changing into Peloton’s major athletic attire associate.