A Lululemon retailer is seen in New York Metropolis on April 3. The athleisure model has filed go well with towards Costco, accusing the warehouse chain of copying its designs.
Michael M. Santiago/Getty Pictures
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Michael M. Santiago/Getty Pictures
Luxurious athletic model Lululemon is suing Costco, accusing the wholesale membership large of copying a number of of its signature designs and providing them at a lower cost beneath its Kirkland Signature model.
In a lawsuit filed Friday, Lululemon mentioned that “given the success” of its merchandise, “some corporations have replicated or copied Plaintiffs’ proprietary attire designs to create what are colloquially identified within the trend world as ‘knockoffs’ or ‘dupes.’ ”
“The Infringing Merchandise create an improper affiliation with Plaintiffs’ genuine merchandise,” the grievance continued, citing the instance of the hashtag “LululemonDupes” on social media, which helps customers discover evaluations and sources of comparable merchandise at a lower cost.
The lawsuit additionally accuses Costco of illegally buying and selling on Lululemon’s “fame, goodwill and sweat fairness by promoting unauthorized and unlicensed attire” based mostly on the athleisure model’s design patents.
In an announcement to NPR, Lululemon mentioned: “As an innovation-led firm that invests considerably within the analysis, growth, and design of our merchandise, we take the duty of defending and imposing our mental property rights very severely and pursue the suitable authorized motion when crucial.”
Costco didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
Lululemon was based in Vancouver, British Columbia, in 1998 and has emerged as a number one retailer within the trendy athletic area. With single gadgets usually ringing in at greater than $100, the model is closely related to the athleisure type of exercise gear. Its revenues topped $10 billion final 12 months.
Costco, which is membership solely, has developed a loyal following for its non-public label Kirkland Signature model, which makes competing merchandise of name-brand merchandise, often at a far lower cost to clients. Costco’s income totaled $254.5 billion in fiscal 2024.
