KÜHL has filed suit against L.L. Bean for the use of its trademark “The Outsider.” The suit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Utah Central Division alleging trademark infringement.
KÜHL registered “The Outsider” mark for International Class 025 for “rugged outdoor clothing, including belts, bottoms, hats, jackets, pants, shirts, shorts, t-shirts and tops.” KÜHL filed suit in response to the “Be an Outsider” advertising campaign launched by L.L. Bean.
Kevin Boyle, founder and president at KÜHL, stated: “We think L.L. Bean’s rebranding as ‘Be an Outsider’ is clever. Their advertising campaign clearly plays off of both our branding on our hang tags, catalog and website. In my opinion L.L. Bean’s legal team knew – or should have known – that KÜHL owned the trademark ‘The Outsider.’ KÜHL now has an obligation to enforce our trademark and protect our customers from confusion.”
