Outerwear retailer Columbia Sportswear has sued Columbia University over alleged trademark infringement and a breach of contract, saying that the university’s merchandise looks too similar to its own offerings and can confuse shoppers.
In a lawsuit filed on 23 July in federal court in Oregon, Columbia Sportswear, whose roots date back to 1938, alleges that the Ivy League university in New York City intentionally violated an agreement the parties signed on 13 June 2023. That agreement dictated how the university could use the word “Columbia” on its own apparel and accessories.
As part of the pact, the university could feature “Columbia” on its merchandise provided that the name included a recognizable school insignia or its mascot, the word “university”, the name of the academic department, or the founding year of the university – 1754 – or a combination.
Columbia Sportswear clothing is sold at more than 800 retail locations including more than 150 of its branded stores, as well as its website and third-party marketplaces.
But Columbia Sportswear alleges the university breached the agreement a little more than a year later, with the company based in Portland, Oregon, noticing several garments without any of the school logos being sold at the Columbia University online store.
Many of the garments feature a bright blue color that is “confusingly similar” to the blue color that has long been associated with Columbia Sportswear, the suit alleged.
The lawsuit offered photos of some of the Columbia University items that say only “Columbia”.
“The likelihood of deception, confusion, and mistake engendered by the university’s misappropriation and misuse of the Columbia name is causing irreparable harm to the brand and goodwill symbolized by Columbia Sportswear’s registered mark Columbia and the reputation for quality it embodies,” the lawsuit alleged.
The lawsuit comes at a time when Columbia University has been threatened with the potential loss of billions of dollars in government support.
Columbia University recently reached a deal with the Trump administration to pay more than $220m to the federal government to restore federal research money that was canceled in the name of combating antisemitism on campus.
Under the agreement, the Ivy League school will pay a $200m over three years, the university said.
Columbia Sportswear aims to stop all sales of clothing that violate the agreement, recall any products already sold and donate any remaining merchandise to charity. Columbia Sportswear is also seeking three times the amount of actual damages determined by a jury.
Neither Columbia Sportswear nor Columbia University could be immediately reached for comment.