Backcountry.com is facing social media uproar and boycott threats as word spreads about the online site’s move to sue a number of smaller outdoor brands and retailers for using the term “backcountry” in their name or product catalog.
The Colorado Sun on October 31 first detailed the lawsuits and Trademark Office petitions filed on behalf of Backcountry.com.
Backcountry, which first trademarked the “backcountry” term in 2004 and has filed for additional usage trademarks since then, has launched a legal offensive against at least 50 different defendants in a publicly available list from the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
An updated story on the Colorado Sun from November 5 noted that a Boycott Backcountry.com Facebook page with more than 4,500 members has arrived since the Colorado Sun’s initial story. A GoFundMe page is raising money to support Marquette Backcountry Ski founder David Ollila, who is reportedly the only business owner who has not settled after being sued in federal court.
The Colorado Sun also noted that outdoor sites including Teton Gravity Research and Mountain Project are galvanizing support against the e-retailer. Backcountry.com has yet to comment publicly on the controversy.
