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Levi's sues American clothing stores for selling Japanese jeans

supertalk.superfuture.com — How's this for blind capitalism - Levi's has issued court orders to multiple stores in America, claiming that the jeans coming out of Japan are too close to their back pocket design. They've picked apart every Japanese denim company and lumped them all together into one big 'YOU ARE RIPPING US OFF BY SELLING JEANS' lawsuit. I love America!

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  • sfacets, on 10/12/2007, -71/+10...In Capitalist America, Jeans wear you!
    • CanadianAviator, on 10/12/2007, -5/+43I'll wear you if you don't shut it...
    • ButtholeSurfer, on 10/12/2007, -20/+8levis aren't really that comfortable... ***** 'em
    • birkoph, on 10/12/2007, -22/+3" I love America! "
      Shut up no one loves Millhous.... er I mean America!
    • shreveyboy, on 10/12/2007, -3/+7YOU ARE RIPPING US OFF BY SELLING JEANS'

      Ah, if only our justice system put humour into naming court cases..
    • adamsucks, on 10/12/2007, -2/+14So some guy posts this article about Levi's in a random forum and automatically it's news? I don't doubt there are lawsuits like that going on.. but before you guys start getting all anti-Levi's.. wait for an article from a more reputable source.

    • wafflez, on 10/12/2007, -6/+11seriously, why do the first comments in every story suck so much?
    • Saiing, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4"wait for an article from a more reputable source."

      - well a number of facts from this article are just plain wrong anyway. The original article and a number of subsequent posters seem to suggest that Levi's have some kind of worldwide court order which frankly is a crock of sh*t. There's no such thing. If they sued in America (which is most likely) then the ruling applies inside American borders and no further.
    • Nitrodist, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4No source = bury.
    • worthawholebean, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1@wafflez

      At least digg doesn't get "frist" comments.
  • CanadianAviator, on 10/12/2007, -1/+29This just in... Levi's owns the concept of "the pocket"!
  • sicc, on 10/12/2007, -10/+10Levi's sucks anyway
    • Civil44, on 10/12/2007, -7/+5so so very true
    • SidU, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3Doesn't Levi's sell more higher end jeans which are japanese denim and selvage?
    • crawfishsoul, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9sidu - at first, I thought WTF is selvage, he's making that word up. But...

      From wikipedia:
      Selvage is the edge of the fabric. It is characterised usually by a frayed edge. The selvage can be observed through closely looking at the grain of the fabric and the direction of the threads. Also spelled selvedge.

      But I'm not sure selvage means what you think it means. Hell, I'm not really sure I know what I think it means.
    • xkidmidnightx, on 10/12/2007, -10/+2I am pretty sure he does know what it means. Only fat greasy losers that have no taste or style don't know what selvedge is. I'm rocking my Nudie Regular Ralph Selvedge jeans right now. They are around 250 dollars more than the crap you wear.
    • SidU, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3xkidmidnightx, that was a bit harsh. Haha, btw nice choice with the "Regular Ralph", personally dior homme's where it's at.
    • glacius99, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1+1 for Wikipedia research.. Too many people expect things to be handed to them these days..
  • kenvsryu, on 10/12/2007, -5/+2i love lawyers.
  • minimalistics, on 10/12/2007, -3/+19Levis made good jeans 50 years ago. Since then, they have made mass produced crap. ***** Levis.
    • jcapogna, on 10/12/2007, -7/+5I like my Levis. Cheap and comfortable.
    • Cleanlyness, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5Levi's wear out quickly. There are other American jeans that last longer and are just as comfortable.
  • cazoo, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2i'm not surprised, levis was the lone hold out in saipan.

    http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=6249

    their greed is only rivaled by their inhumanity to their fellow man.
    • Urusai, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5"...Levi said it was becoming a "market company," and that future production in almost all cases would be by contract manufacturers."

      So they're just a label. Screw 'em, any loser can stick a label on shoddy third-world wage-slave-made clothing.
  • hackwrench, on 10/12/2007, -5/+8"Levi's is suing your two favorite denim stores in America,"
    I don't have two favorite denim stores, so who is Levi's suing?

    Marked inaccurate for projecting onto your audience and not being a credible news source.
  • datcrazydj, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2They all look the god damn same...
  • ebob9, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7Here's an image of one of the brands named:

    http://www.selfedge.com/uploaded_images/DSC05089-744499.JPG

    I can see some similarities between that and Levi's branding..
    • NSResponder, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Yep, their designs are being copied. Open-and-shut case for the plaintiff.

      -jcr

    • cliffzdude, on 10/12/2007, -1/+10Blatant rip-offs:

      Samaurai Jeans: http://www.j-e-a-n-s.net/cgi-bin/cgi-file/A1/a1-095.jpg

      Iron Heart Jeans: http://img42.photobucket.com/albums/v129/killerheels/stock/RealSevenJeansPocket.jpg

      Studio D'Artisan: http://image.www.rakuten.co.jp/cpoint/img10242786842.jpeg

      Levis is an age old clothing company, although I'm happy with cheap ass Old Navy Jeans I for one will go against the Digg Mob and say they are in the right on this one. ***** Levis? ***** the copiers!


    • minimalistics, on 10/12/2007, -3/+1They are paying homage to the methods and styles and most importantly - quality, that Levis has abandoned. If this was about selling knockoffs, they wouldn't be hand made with so much care and respect to the techniques. They would make them as cheap as possible and flood the market. I'm not arguing that Levis is wrong in their lawsuit, just that if they'd approached the situation differently ie. doing some collabos, they might have achieved a better result for everyone.
    • Falladir, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Thanks cliffzdude, for linking to photos.

      This is a bit like selling counterfeit iPods as lPods (ell-pods). Or maybe the better reference is to Folex watches. If consumers are being tricked into buying jeans that they think are from Levi's, the courts should intervene. This is the point of trademark enforcement.
    • xkidmidnightx, on 10/12/2007, -5/+1God damn, you nerds know nothing about fashion or decent clothes. Those jeans have nothing to do with the common levis that are sold today. Quit wearing Old Navy crap if you want to get laid by quality girls. Old Navy jeans fit like potato sacks. I guess they would look decent on people with WOW bodies though.
    • mizzack, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0@falladir:

      I'm pretty sure people who are spending $100-150+ on jeans from a designer store realize that they are not in fact purchasing Levis.
  • FunkyWitDaSysTm, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1japanese consumers would be so discriminatory. hooray for their better fashion sense. but would the fashion discrimination of "average" americans even take notice? if not, then why the big deal?
  • plinkey, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Well, these companies were making "replicas" of vintage Levis. In most cases they were made from higher quality denim (Japanese selvage) and were made the same way Levis made them years ago (raw). I can see where Levis is coming from on this one, because these other companies were blatantly ripping off the designs. Sucks that you can't get sugarcanes that look like Levis anymore though.
  • nicku, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I'd care about Levi's more if they still made their jeans in the US, but they can DIAF for all I care now.
    • johnpaul191, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1you know some still are, and the rest are made in Mexico. not like Diesel Jeans who supposedly are the Nike of denim when you look into their sweatshop antics.
    • UrlorJkron, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Well my closet is already full of Levis. Since you sparked my curiosity I checked to see where they were made:

      5 USA
      3 Mexico
      1 Guatemala
      1 Columbia
      1 Egypt
      1 Canada

      I doubt any one wants me to go pant-less over this.
    • nicku, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I found my older ones are USA made. The newer ones are from all over the place and the sizing is inconsistent. They took a decent brand and cheapened it.
  • bigp3rm, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1Anchor blue fit me just fine. FU Levi.
  • NoBullet2, on 10/12/2007, -3/+6Oh geez! How dare Levis protect their copyrights and patents. Why cant they be like the rest of the world and let everyone use their patented products to make some cash. The nerve of Levis.

    • MaximusIGN, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4I think their demand that no tabs can be used to be excessive. The rest seems reasonable. Protecting copyrights and patents shouldn't be used to stifle competition and innovation.

      If I get a patent on using a web browser, would you be saying the same thing when I sue everyone?
    • cliffzdude, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4Levis trademarked their tab long ago. They even have jeans that are named in such a way that refer to the tab, which they added to their jeans back in 1936 (google thank you)... "Blue Tab" and "Red Tab" are lines that Levis make... Saying this is "bad" is like saying the BMW propeller can be copied by Hyundai because you don't drive a BMW.
    • ElGuano, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Cliffz is right. Levis trademarked the pocket design long ago, and has rightfully guarded it over the years against regular trademark infringement as well as trademark dilution claims. The only thing that stands out about this story is how little the contributor knows about IP protection.
    • dezhayes, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1@ MaximusIGN "Protecting copyrights and patents shouldn't be used to stifle competition and innovation. "

      What's innovative about reproductions? These brands aren't creating new products they are simply copying vintage Levis cuts and designs making only minor changes to the trademarked Levis elements (the patch, pocket stitching, red tab and pocket cardboard).
    • wageslave1, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4copyright and patent? on JEANS?

      The only thing that is protectable on such a product is the TradeMark (and, possibly, the pocket-stiching qualifies as a trademark(logo))

      There is no COPYRIGHT on a durable good.
      There are no PATENTS (valid ones) on a pair of pants.
    • skidknee, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1@ dezhayes

      You're right on the reproductions, but it's the cultural aspect you're missing. They are not knock-offs. They are of higher quality--using the old denim looms that are more difficult to use, etc. The idea of Levi's vintage style has been something of an homage that can be seen in all these jeans. Hence, the arcuate (back pocket stitch design), the red tab, and the patch.

      The truth of the matter is, Levi's does not compare to these "knock-off" brands other than their ability to bully these smaller companies that cater to a small demographic of Japanese denim heads. It's been happening for years. While that does not condone infringement, it does bring up the issue of why Levi's chooses now to act upon it. The longer they wait, the less valid their trademark is--it's just that these companies don't have the means to fight back.

      Superfuture in the house. Sidneylo here from sufu. Peace.
  • Snowspot, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1A man always trusts his jeans when he can't trust anything else...now...even they are corrupt...I am a broken man
  • RyeBrye, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3"I love America!" - No, you don't. Burried as inaccurate.
  • cezar, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4It's not "Capitalism". It's corporatism. It's capitalism like the USSR was "communism".
  • bombaclott, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0I'm wearing levi's right now!!
    • wageslave1, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Im not wearing any paints. Rroowwlr.
  • cjmac87, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1i know a girl who is a heiress to levi jeans company, she lives in tucson. im gonna go send this story to her and give her *****
  • broomett, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2So let me get this straight. Becuase it is so hard to keep up with the Dig community's insane and irrational hatred of companies...So, we hate Sony, Microsoft, the RIAA/MPAA...and now Levis?
    • TheElectricMonk, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5this is digg, "we" dont hate anything in perticular, "we" just hate


      (used quotations so yo udont think i actually believe im speaking for everyone, or anyone for that matter)
    • wageslave1, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1not liking being dominated by powerfull, immortal, immoral coprorations is completely rational.

      Watch this movie; http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0379225/
  • Asianwaste, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2This could be why Jeans cost ***** 80 dollars in Japan
    • dezhayes, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Oh, they cost a whole lot more than that.
  • wily6, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1i'm not buying my levi's on black friday any more for $20
  • chicbicyclist, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1woot, superfuture(oh wait, most super people don't do woots).

    Anyway, anyone can smell this from a mile away. The japanese brands had this japanese fetish the same way the kind of people who post at superfuture have the same fetish for japanese brands. The japanese jean makers even copied the basic back label design with some tweaking. to make them look as close to levi's.
  • kazuhima, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1i like japanese levis more than the american ones.. they are hella more expensive (sometimes around $150-$300) but i guess its worth it if you are into fashion (most of the young people in japan are into fashion including straight guys)

    i think theres more variety with the japanese ones.. colors, marks, and tightness.
    • wageslave1, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I used to wear a tshirt to parties and such with "***** fashion" scrawled in marker.

      I hate the entire concept. Wear clothes for warmth. All else is ego-stroking mindlessness.
    • Teaboy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I don't dress nice to stroke my ego, I dress nice to attract ladies.
  • 3vno, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Those jeans do look like levi's
  • CoryTrevor, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3***** levi's. They moved all their production overseas a few years ago and cut their production costs by more than 70%... yet their prices stay the same. So all these people lost decent jobs so that shareholder profits would raise a few dollars.
  • DesignSonic, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Most of you guys are missing the point. These companies make jeans like Levi's used to make. They often use vintage Levi's equipment. The utmost care is put into the fit of the jeans and they often sell for hundreds of dollars a pair. These jeans are not even targeted at the same market as Levi's

    ps how many other superfuturians are diggers, I wonder.
  • MinorLemming, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Levi sued Tesco in the UK for selling... wait for it... Levi's jeans. They sued Tesco for trademark infringement and won!
  • LaneLester, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Quote: How's this for blind capitalism

    This is not capitalism; this is a company trying to get the state to interfere with capitalism.
    • PadreHomer, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Indeed. What the hell do lawyers and courts have to do with capitalism?
    • Rodzirra, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Why are these comments being dugg down? Anyone care to explain why they're wrong?

      Without state interference, this kind of thing would not work in the market. It's no argument against capitalism (despite the inference in the description). It's an argument against the mercantilist state.
  • jenk, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1It's called a trademark. The comments here are hilarious. Fight the power digg, fight the power.
  • Bushlied, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Can I sue Levis for ripping off the American Public with their 250 dollar red label jeans?
  • RobotKing, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1They are going to sue the pants off the Japanese.
  • goallover, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Check out some photos of the trademark infringement here
    http://www.denimology.co.uk/2007/01/levis_sues_japanese_denim_bran.php
  • watersoftener, on 07/18/2008, -0/+1this pants available for big and tall mens?

    http://big-and-tall-mens-clothes.blogspot.com
  •  

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