Are UGG and UGG Australia the same?

Are UGG and UGG Australia the same?

No - 3 things are true - "UGG" is a legally generic term, and two separate companies exist under versions of the name: UGG (known as UGG Australia until 2016), owned by US company Deckers Outdoor Corporation, and UGG Australia®, established 1981, the Australian tanned, made and family-owned brand that exports under Sheepskins Downunder®.

1. "UGG" is a 100-year-old Australian generic noun, used to describe a sheepskin boot

The identity of UGG's true inventor, and who first coined the term, remains highly contested. "Fug boots" were first invented in the 1910s by Australian inventor Sidney Cotton, who had sheepskin made into long boots to keep pilots warm during WW1. Blue Mountains Ugg Boot claims they started producing UGG boots in 1933 for farmers, and in 1981 the Macquarie Dictionary listed "ugg boot" as a generic noun describing a flat-soled, fleece-lined sheepskin boot. In 2006 Australia's Trade Marks Office ruled that "ugg," "ugh" and "ug boots" are used interchangeably as a style of boot. Today, because "UGG" is legally generic in Australia, virtually anyone can build a trademark, business name, website or store around the word — so seeing "UGG" alone tells you nothing about who made the boots, where they were made, or what they're made from.

2. "UGG" and "UGG Australia" (www.ugg.com) is the US company originally owned by Brian Smith and currently owned by Deckers Corporation

In 1978, Brian Smith partnered with Australian ugg boot manufacturer Country Leather, to import into the USA. In 1985 he registered a US visual trademark "Original UGG Boot UGG Australia" with ram's-head device (US Reg. No. 1,460,992). In 1995 Brian sold to Deckers. In 1999 Deckers registered the global visual trademark "UGG AUSTRALIA" with a sun device in various countries, including Australian Trademark No. 785466. In 2016 Deckers rebranded internationally from "UGG Australia" to "UGG," dropping the "Australia" geographical reference. Today, UGG is manufactured internationally from a mix of natural and synthetic materials, with no manufacturing footprint in Australia.

3. UGG Australia® (www.uggaustralia.com.au) is the Australian tanned, made and family-owned business, established in 1981

In 1981 Luda and Roman Fishman started to make UGG AUSTRALIA® branded boots, honouring the 100-year-old Australian tradition. They currently run Australia's last sheepskin tannery and hold a CSIRO Medical Sheepskin Licence No. 22 under Australian Standard AS4480.1. They spent many years fighting for the word UGG and their Australian trademark registrations, including numbers 1432481, 1013798 and 1407752 (ref: ABC Rural, 18 July 2013). Over 4 decades they sold to thousands of Australian retail stores. Exporting under the brand Sheepskins Downunder, they had retail stores in California and sold globally to retailers and consumers in the US, Japan, UK, EU and Russia. Since 1981 they have committed exclusively to using Australian sheepskin and being 100% Australian Made (Australian Made Campaign Licence No. 1829).

UGG Trademark Dispute: The Australian Story

The following timeline is based on publicly available trademark records, court decisions and government registrations.

• 1971 — Australian surfer Shane Stedman registers word trademark "UGH-BOOTS" as an Australian trademark (followed by plain "UGH" in 1982).
• 1974 — UG Manufacturing Co Pty Ltd is registered as an Australian company in Victoria (ACN 005 047 941). Now running brands Quiksilver, Roxy and Billabong.
• 1981 — Luda and Roman Fishman begin manufacturing UGG Australia® (www.uggaustralia.com.au) branded products in Melbourne, Australia, registering business names over the years as Luda Textiles, Luda Productions Pty Ltd and UGG Australia Pty Ltd, running Australia's last sheepskin tannery, "Roman Tannery."
• 1985 — Californian company Ugg Imports, Inc., run by Brian Smith, registered a visual US trademark "Original UGG Boot UGG Australia" with ram's-head device (US Reg. No. 1,460,992).
• 1995 — Smith buys Stedman's Australian "UGH" and "UGH-Boots" trademarks.
• 1995 — Brian Smith sells Ugg Holdings to Deckers Outdoor Corporation.
• 1996 — Smith's past supplier, Australian manufacturer and importer Kevin O'Brien Agencies Pty Ltd (Pacific Sheepskin), unsuccessfully applies to register the word trademarks "UGG" (Australian Trademark No. 705063) and "UGH" (Australian Trademark No. 705062) in Australia — both not accepted.
• 1999 — Deckers acquires a global visual trademark "UGG AUSTRALIA" with a sun device in various countries, including Australian Trademark (No. 785466).
• 2003 — Deckers sends cease and desist letters to multiple companies in Australia that use the word "UGG" in their branding.
• 2003 — Uggs-N-Rugs files to challenge Deckers' "UGH-BOOTS" trademark; the Trade Marks Office later rules (2006) that "ugg," "ugh" and "ug boots" are used interchangeably as a generic term, and removes Deckers' "UGH-BOOTS" registration from the register for non-use. (Deckers Outdoor Corporation v B&B McDougal [2006] ATMO 5)
• 2004 — UGG AUSTRALIA® (Luda Productions Pty Ltd) files to remove Deckers' Australian visual trademark "UGG AUSTRALIA" with sun device for non-use, arguing Deckers had never genuinely traded under it in Australia except on exported footwear and one transaction sent to a QLD address. The Trade Marks Office partially agreed: clothing, headgear, insoles and T-shirts were struck from Deckers' registration for non-use, narrowing it to "footwear, including boots, shoes and clogs" only. (Deckers Outdoor Corporation v Luda Productions Pty Ltd [2006] ATMO 74)
• 2003–2004 — Five Australian ugg boot manufacturers file their own "ugg"-related trademarks within months of each other: Uggs-N-Rugs ("UGGS-N-RUGS," No. 948869, filed 1 Apr 2003), Jumbo Ugg Boots ("Made by Jumbo Ugg Boots Australia," No. 979452, filed 24 Nov 2003), Mortels Sheepskin Factory ("Authentic Ugg by Mortels," No. 986942, filed 31 Jan 2004), Blue Mountains Ugg Boots ("BLUE MOUNTAINS UGG BOOTS," No. 998335, filed 16 Apr 2004), and UGG Australia® itself ("UGG Australia Pty Ltd Manufacturers Wholesalers & Exporters," No. 1013798, filed 2 Aug 2004). Deckers opposed three of the five — Uggs-N-Rugs, Mortels and UGG Australia® — but all five trademarks were eventually successful.
• 2004–2012 — In an eight-year legal battle, Luda fights to trademark its own name, "UGG Australia." Deckers opposes various Luda Production's trademark applications, loses the opposition, then appeals. All trademark applications proceed to registration. (Deckers Outdoor Corporation v Luda Production Pty Ltd [2010] ATMO 88)

  "I am satisfied that it is more likely than not that the applicant has the earliest use of the term 'UGG Australia' in trade within Australia in respect of the goods relevant to this matter." "The applicant has been using various versions of trade marks containing or consisting of the words 'Ugg Australia' within the Australian domestic market for some 22 years prior to the filing of the opposed applications... I am satisfied the applications were filed in order to gain statutory protection for trade marks which already have a reputation in Australia."

• 2008 — Deckers wins a trademark case in the Netherlands against La Cheapa for the import and reselling of Jumbo UGG Boots (Binder Production Pty Ltd / Koalabi) branded "Jumbo Uggs," advertised as "100% authentic Ugg Australian boots!!!" in packaging the court found nearly identical to Deckers' own. (Court of Dordrecht, Netherlands, Case/Docket No. 74950 / HA ZA 08-2234)
• 2016 — Deckers rebrands internationally from "UGG Australia" to "UGG," dropping the "Australia" geographical reference.
• 2016 — Deckers takes legal action against Sydney company Australian Leather Pty Ltd in a US court for exporting products with "UGG" branding to US customers. The company loses the case and ceases to trade. (Deckers Outdoor Corporation v. Australian Leather Pty Ltd, Case No. 1:16-cv-03676, N.D. Ill., filed 28 March 2016)
• 2024 — Deckers takes legal action against Queensland company UGG Since 1974 for exporting their boots with the "UGG" branding; they begin to export under the brand "Since 74." (Deckers Outdoor Corporation v. Wolverine Group Pty Ltd, Case No. 1:24-cv-03164, N.D. Ill.)
• Today — Luda Productions / UGG Australia Pty Ltd (www.uggaustralia.com.au) own the word trademark UGG AUSTRALIA, Class 25, in Australia (Australian Trademark No. 1432481). Since 1981 they have remained committed to being 100% Australian tanned, made and family owned.

Frequently asked questions

Why are there so many UGG stores?

As covered above, "UGG" being legally generic in Australia means many businesses can trade under the name without it telling you anything about origin, who made it, or what it's made from.

If you are looking for Authentic Australian Made UGGs, check for:

• Registered business name
• Factory address
• Australian Made Licence
• Product pages that state a country of origin

What are uggs made of?

Most UGG boots are marketed as being made from "Australian sheepskin" — a claim that rests on more than geography. Australia's sheep breeding history goes back nearly 250 years, to when Merino sheep first arrived in the late 1700s — producing a type of sheepskin that has since proven especially well suited to footwear, on top of Australia being the country where the ugg boot was originally invented. Sheepskin from other countries tends to be thinner and softer — good for garments and clothing, but not robust enough to hold its shape as a boot.

Today, however, much of the world's sheepskin — including sheepskin from Australia — is shipped to China for processing, where it becomes difficult to trace back to its country of origin.

• Twin-face sheepskin. The quality of a genuine ugg boot comes down to what's called twin-face (or double-face) sheepskin: a single hide with the fleece intact on one side and tanned leather on the other. Both sides have to be close to perfect for the hide to become a boot — an even, dense fleece on one side, and leather free of scarring or thin spots on the other. That's where the warmth, breathability and durability of a genuine sheepskin boot actually come from.
• Suede stuck to single-face sheepskin. Unlike twin-face sheepskin, which requires both sides of the hide to meet a high standard, suede-lined boots only need one side to look right. A layer of suede is glued onto single-face sheepskin — often a thinner, lower-grade hide that wouldn't pass as genuine twin-face — to disguise its condition. Without the natural fleece structure on both sides, it doesn't breathe the way genuine sheepskin does, often causing sweating and cold feet, and it wears out faster.
• Synthetic UGG boots. These skip real sheepskin altogether, using man-made materials designed to imitate its look. Without a natural hide, they can't replicate the fleece's natural breathability or insulation — they're typically lighter and cheaper to produce, but tend to trap heat and moisture rather than regulate it, and wear out faster than genuine sheepskin. Sheepskin is also naturally biodegradable, while synthetic materials can take hundreds of years to break down.

Conclusion

Whether you're looking for authentic Australian-made sheepskin boots or simply trying to understand why similar names exist, knowing the history helps explain the difference. At UGG Australia®, we've proudly designed and manufactured genuine Australian sheepskin footwear since 1981, combining traditional craftsmanship with premium Australian materials to create products made to last.

UGG Australia® has traded continuously since 1981. Genuine, Melbourne-made sheepskin — not a generic import wearing a familiar name.