UGG Stole a Brand and Built a Billion-Dollar Empire

Imagine this:

You build a product. You perfect it. You spend decades making it by hand.

Then one day, someone else takes your name, scales it globally, and builds a $1.5 billion-a-year empire off what you created.

That’s the story of UGG Since 1974.

The small, family-owned Australian company invented the classic sheepskin boot in the 1970s. Locally made. High quality. Authentic to the core.

But in 1995, Deckers Outdoor Corporation bought the U.S. trademark for the word UGG for just $15 million. Fast forward a couple decades, and UGG is everywhere — Oprah’s Favorite Things, Nordstrom shelves, the Kardashians’ closets.

Deckers turned UGG into a juggernaut, with global sales peaking around $1.5 billion annually, and a parent company valued at over $10 billion. Meanwhile, the original — UGG Since 1974 — couldn’t even sell under its own name in most parts of the world.

The Brutal Lesson

This isn’t just an unfair story. It’s a wake-up call.
Because here’s the truth: it doesn’t matter who invents it — it matters who owns it.

What Founders Should Learn from This

1. File Early, File Everywhere
   Don’t wait. If you think your brand has legs, lock down trademarks in every market you might enter. Today it’s $1,000–$5,000 in paperwork. Tomorrow it could be a billion-dollar mistake.

2. Build a Moat Beyond the Product
   UGG boots? They’re a commodity. The reason “UGG” (the corporation) won was because they owned the distribution, marketing, and global story. If your brand is only built on product quality, you’re vulnerable.

3. IP is Your Most Valuable Asset
   Trademarks, patents, domains, even your TikTok handle — these are assets. Treat them like prime real estate. If someone else owns them, you’re renting.

4. The Market Doesn’t Protect Originals
   Courts don’t reward “but I made it first.” They reward the company with the paperwork and the strategy. If you’re not prepared, the market will steamroll you.

The Takeaway

UGG Since 1974 is still alive. They still make incredible boots. But the reality is, they lost the brand war.

For founders, the lesson is simple:
👉 Don’t just build your brand. Defend it.
👉 Don’t just invent. Own.
👉 Don’t just assume customers will know who was first. Make sure the law does.

Because in today’s market, the company that files the trademark — not the one that invents the product — takes home the billions.