Thread: Ralph Lauren Loses Logo Dispute

You can't win all battles. The Fashion Row just learned that Ralph Lauren lost a logo fight with US Polo Association in a trademark dispute.

- Jessica Rockefeller

here are a couple articles:

en.redtram.com:

Polo Ralph Lauren has lost its bid to prevent the United States Polo Association and its merchandising partner, Jordache Ltd., from using logos that resemble its famous trademark of a horseman whacking a ball.

The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals this week refused to overturn a jury's 2005 finding that three out of four logos used by the Polo Association didn't infringe on Ralph Lauren's mark.

The association logos feature two polo players on horseback, not one. They also have the lettering "USPA" beneath them. A jury ruled that clothing buyers were unlikely to be confused into thinking they were buying Ralph Lauren shirts.

The polo player symbol has appeared on Ralph Lauren clothing since 1972. The USPA was founded in 1890 and is the governing body for the sport in the United States. Jordache licensed the rights to USPA-branded clothing in 1998.

Polo Ralph Lauren Corp. has been fighting with the Polo Association since the early 1980s over trademark issues and had won a previous suit over an earlier version of the logo.

George A. Stamboulidis, a lawyer representing the Polo Association, said the organization was pleased with the ruling.

"They have been working for many years now to vindicate their right to promote the sport and raise money for the sport using the symbol of people in an action shot playing the sport," he said Friday. "We are hopeful that with this decision, we are putting the dispute with Ralph Lauren behind us and we will be able to coexist in the marketplace."

A lawyer representing Ralph Lauren did not immediately return phone calls and e-mail messages.

nypost:

March 7, 2008 -- A federal appeals court rode in like the cavalry and handed a victory to the US Polo Association in a trademark dispute with Ralph Lauren.
The famous fashion company had taken a swing at the sport of polo's governing body, claiming that it had ripped off Lauren's iconic polo-player-on-horseback logo, which for decades has graced the casual wear of preppies from Newport to Southampton.

At a trial in 2005, a jury found that only one of four logos used by the polo association infringed on the rights of the Polo Ralph Lauren Corp., according to the New York Law journal.

The US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit concurred with the jury's finding this week.

Neither the association nor Ralph Lauren could be reached for comment on the verdict.

This isn't the first time the two sides have faced off, according to the Law Journal. Ralph Lauren won a judgment in 1984 that barred the association from using some logos that were too close to the clothing company - though the polo association was still allowed to do some marketing that involved images of players on horses.

I'm confused... So USPA had the logo of the horseman first??!

is USPA like a "generic" version of RL? because it not as pricey..idk

Originally Posted by GirlGoneJuicy

is USPA like a "generic" version of RL? because it not as pricey..idk

No... USPS is a totally different company/brand... they has nothing to do with Ralph Lauren... but I don't like that USPS is so similar to RL (logo wise, and all) ...and yeah USPS is cheap compared to RL...