Outdoor apparel company ASAT Outdoors is suing streetwear brand Supreme, claiming its camouflage designs violate a copyright.
There’s a joke here about the judge not being able to see the pattern because it blends into the surroundings, but it really is an interesting case. We’ve looked into a few similar cases of whether or not patterns, even seemingly ubiquitous ones, can be copyrighted or trademarked
ASAT Outdoors filed the complaint on Nov. 11 at the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, according to the World Intellectual Property Review. It claims that Supreme’s autumn/winter collection of jackets, sweaters and pants violates copyright for one of its camouflage designs.
https://twitter.com/HotNewHipHop/status/1196894494307868672
The company added that Supreme parent company Chapter 4 “copied the design and created derivative works of the design, and placed it on its apparel such as hats, pants and jackets to sell on its website and in stores.”
Supreme is being sued for allegedly hijacking another brand's camo print. https://t.co/Q9pKDgA5xa pic.twitter.com/V4pTagUSzR
— The Fashion Law (@TheFashionLaw) November 17, 2019
ASAT is seeking up to $150,000 per infringement in damages.
As you can see, it’s not your average, everyday forest camo. This is a very particular design.
Surprisingly, it’s also not the first time a fashion company is in hot water over camo usage. According to The Fashion Law, Kanye West’s Yeezy brand allegedly stole camouflage designs from Jordan Outdoor Enterprises for use on hoodies and footwear. That case was dismissed, however, in 2018 after the two brands came to a settlement agreement.
