UGG Australia
UGG is the sheepskin boot brand founded in California in 1978 by Australian surfer Brian Smith and owned since 1995 by Deckers Brands, the Goleta, California footwear group that trades on the New York Stock Exchange as DECK.
Company Snapshot
- Status
- Operating - one of the world's best-known sheepskin footwear brands, sold in more than 130 countries
- Type
- Brand of Deckers Brands (Deckers Outdoor Corporation), a public company - NYSE: DECK
- Headquarters
- Goleta, California, United States (Deckers Brands headquarters)
- Founded
- 1978, in Southern California, by Australian surfer Brian Smith; Deckers acquired the brand in August 1995
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Company Profile
A shopper meeting UGG today meets far more than the classic boot: the line now spans boots, slippers, sandals, shoes, apparel and home textiles, sold through UGG stores, department stores and ugg.com. Within Deckers Brands, UGG sits alongside HOKA and Teva as one of the group's principal brands, and the classic sheepskin boot - in chestnut and the fifteen other colors in this site's color guide - remains its signature product. The shop box on this page covers UGG footwear, which both marketplaces carry.
The trademark position explains much of the brand's unusual story. In 1971, Shane Steadman registered the trademark UGH-BOOT on the Australian Trade Mark Registry; that registration was sold to Ugg Holdings Inc. in early 1995. In August 1995, Deckers purchased Ugg Holdings, and in 1999 it registered the Ugg Holdings trademarks, including the UGG AUSTRALIA label, in Australia. Deckers' attempts to stop other Australian traders using the word UGG led to a decision by IP Australia that UGG is a generic term in Australia and New Zealand, where Deckers holds no trademark rights in the word - while Deckers does hold UGG registrations in the United States, China and more than 130 other countries.
UGG History
The earlier record for this company - its history, past brand line-ups, figures and photographs from the periods described - is kept on a separate page for historical reference.
UGG History & Historical Profile →Common Questions
Who owns UGG?
UGG is a brand of Deckers Brands (Deckers Outdoor Corporation), which bought Ugg Holdings in August 1995. Deckers is a public company trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker DECK, headquartered in Goleta, California.
When was UGG founded?
The UGG brand was founded in 1978 in Southern California by Brian Smith, a young Australian surfer convinced the world would share his love of sheepskin. Deckers acquired the business in 1995.
Is UGG a trademark everywhere?
No. IP Australia decided that UGG is a generic term for sheepskin boots in Australia and New Zealand, so Deckers holds no trademark rights in the word there. Deckers does hold UGG trademark registrations in the United States, China and over 130 other countries.
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