Australian manufacturers have won a trademark battle with US company Deckers over the use of the name uggs for sheepskin boots.

The Australian reports the name ‘ugg’ or ‘ugh’, a short-form term for ugly, for the boots, which have been sold and worn in Australia for decades, was registered as a trademark in the early 1970s and bought by US company Deckers in 1995. As the fleecy boot became fashionable in recent years, Deckers took legal action in 2003 to prevent local companies using the name. The government trademark regulator, IP Australia, has decided the name is to be removed from the Australian register of trademarks, meaning it is now a generic name.
Full report in The Australian