Ugg boots

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The ugg boot is a generic term for a style of boot, constructed of sheepskin, with the wool as the inner lining and a tanned outer surface. Ugg boots often have a synthetic sole, although this is not mandatory. They evolved in Australia as a type of slipper for cold weather use and are also known as ugh boots and ug boots.

In Australia, sheepskin boots have long been popular with people in rural occupations, who have ready access to the raw materials, such as sheep shearers. Their popularity increased as a result of World War I and World War II, when sheepskin boots were popular with aviators, because of their need to keep warm in non-pressurised planes at high altitudes. Ugg boots have also been popular with surfers and competitive swimmers since at least the 1960s, for keeping warm while out of the water. Nevertheless, in Australasia, bogans and members of related subcultures are generally the only people who wear them in public. Most Australians only wear ugg boots around the house, or on trips no further than local shops.

Ugg boots saw a huge increase in popularity in 2003, partly due to the myriad of small Australian manufacturers who had been plying their trade for decades and partly due to substantial marketing by an American company, UGG Australia, a subsidiary of Deckers Outdoor Corporation, which now manufactures these boots in China.

Various actors have been seen wearing ugg boots. Pamela Anderson started wearing ugg boots to keep her legs warm between takes for the pilot of the Australian version of the television show Baywatch, and brought them home for use on the California set. Also, Deckers' marketing in recent years has included seeding actors with their footwear in order to get more exposure. Actress Kate Hudson wore a pair of UGG boots on the poster for the mid-2004 movie Raising Helen. They were associated also with the Anglo-American actress Sienna Miller and boho-chic (c2003-5). Sheepskin footwear is now a major category in most department stores and retail shoe stores worldwide.

Sheepskin footwear is unisex although some styles lend themselves more to being worn by women over men.

Natural properties of sheepskin results in thermostatic benefits. Thick fleecy fibres on the inner part of the boots allows air to circulate during summer so your feet don't become excessively warm. The natural thermal properties of sheepskin ensure warmth in colder climates. Synthetic and faux fur boots do not have these properties. Ugg boots are therefore best worn without socks, to maximize the benefits from sheepskin.

In America, ugg boots are commonly worn with jeans, although one could wear other pants with the boots. One of the more popular ways to wear them is to wear the boot over the bottom of the pant leg, although you can also see people wear the boots with the bottom of the pant leg fitting over the boot.

Due to USA trademark laws, many companies selling into the USA now market these boots as Sheepskin Boots. Popular brands are Emu Australia, Warmbat, Uggs-N-Rugs, Rocket Dog, Bear Paw and Koolaburra.

The popularity of Ugg boots has polarized the fashion-conscious. Some wear them almost exclusively year-round, touting their comfort and warmth. Others call them plain and ugly, and prone to causing foot-odor.

Another common nomenclature for the sheepskin boot (especially with younger crowds) is the "Ho-stomper".

Trademark controversy

The terms ugg boots, ugh boots and ug boots have been used interchangeably in Australia as a generic term for sheepskin boots for generations. There is evidence of usage of these terms in advertising and magazines in the 1950s and 1960s.

In 1971, Shane Stedman registered the term Ugh-boot and other terms as trademarks with the Australian Trade Mark Registry. These trademarks were subsequently sold to the American company Deckers Outdoor Corporation, who also registered other trademarks, such as UGG Australia in 1999. By 2003, Deckers had begun a campaign of legal threats against Australian manufacturers and vendors using variants of "ugh boots" as descriptors of their wares.

As a result, Bruce and Bronwyn McDougall, owners of Uggs-N-Rugs, a Western Australia-based manufacturer, commenced legal action to have ug, ugg and ugh boots removed from the Australian Trademarks Registry. In January 2006, they were successful in having Deckers Australian trademark removed, and the words and the names were once again generic terms for sheepskin boots. Ian Thompson, Delegate of the Registrar of Trade Marks, stated: "[t]he evidence overwhelmingly supports the proposition that the terms UGH BOOT(S), UG BOOT(S) and UGG BOOT(S) are interchangeably used to describe a specific style of sheepskin boot and are the first and most natural way in which to describe these goods which should innocently come to the minds of people making this particular style of sheepskin boot."

Deckers Outdoor Corporation decided not to challenge the decision in a higher court, but still hold the trademark in the United States and the European Union and continue to refer to their product as "UGG® footwear". They have continued a campaign against other companies referring to products as "ugg", "ug" or "ugh" boots. They continually monitor usage of the above names on the World Wide Web, using legal means to shut down any auction or website that they feel infringes their trademark. Deckers have also registered the domain uggsnrugs.com, an example of cybersquatting. They refer to the abovementioned decision of the Australian Registrar of Trademarks, but claim it is an opinion rather than a judicial determination, and has little-to-no value as a legal precedent in the United States. It is interesting to note that the website also lists the results of Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy cases taken to an arbitration provider, which mostly relate to cybersquatting by Deckers.