Athleta sues Danish company over ‘Athlecia’ activewear brand

Reuters through Kirby Lee-Usa Nowadays Sporting activities

(Reuters) – A Danish firm’s “Athlecia” manufacturer of women’s sportswear violates the trademark legal rights of Hole Inc’s Athleta, according to a lawsuit filed in San Francisco federal courtroom.

Athlecia’s identical name and logo are probable to trigger shopper confusion with Athleta’s women’s activewear, the enterprise stated in its lawsuit submitted Wednesday against Athletics Group Denmark A/S.

Athleta and its attorneys did not straight away reply to a ask for for comment. Sports activities Team Denmark also could not straight away be achieved.

Sporting activities Group Denmark will make various Danish sportswear manufacturers and distributes other manufacturers which includes Mizuno and Babolat in Scandinavia. A person of the group’s makes is Athlecia, which it calls a “blend of feminine sportswear and relaxed garments.”

Athlecia uses a confusingly related identify prepared in a equivalent font on the same sort of products as Athleta, the lawsuit said. Athleta, a well-liked athleisure and yoga clothing brand obtained in 2008 by San Francisco-primarily based Gap Inc, also reported Athlecia’s round symbol resembles its “pinwheel” design and style and provides to the likely for confusion.

The lawsuit said Sporting activities Group Denmark started selling Athlecia merchandise in 2020, though Athleta has been using its title and logo on women’s athletic apparel since 1998.

Athleta said its agents were being in a position to invest in Athlecia items in California even however the model is dependent in Denmark. Sports Group Denmark has also used for an “Athlecia” trademark in the United States, in accordance to the lawsuit, and “intends to start out supplying its goods … immediately to customers in just the United States.”

The complaint asked the court docket to block Athlecia from utilizing the allegedly confusing title and asked for an unspecified quantity of dollars damages.

The scenario is Athleta Inc v. Sports activities Team Denmark A/S, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, No. 3:22-cv-03192.

For Athleta: James Weinberger of Fross Zelnick Lehrman & Zissu, Mark Conrad of Conrad Metlitzky Kane

For Sporting activities Team Denmark: Not available

Our Benchmarks: The Thomson Reuters Have confidence in Rules.