Both GAP and Patagonia have finally come to a settlement after Patagonia filed a lawsuit against GAP last November when GAP tried to copy their signature Snap-T Pullover and use a logo similar to the “P-6” mountain logo that Patagonia is known for.
Patagonia has filed similar lawsuits against other companies as well, including Walmart and Robin Ruth USA due to Patagonia’s “P-6” trout logo. When Patagonia first filed their complaint against GAP in November, the court document stated that the “adoption of designs and logos bearing even more similarity cannot have occurred by accident.” It also cited a customer review posted about GAP’s new products that said, “Obviously a Pata*gonia ripoff. I had to zoom in just to ensure that the logo was GAP.”
Throughout the proceedings of the lawsuit Patagonia stands firmly on the grounds that their ideas and trademarked styles being copied are harming the brand. Patagonia representatives said, “The GAP infringements have cause or are likely to cause dilution of Patagonia’s famous and distinctive mark by diminishing its distinctiveness and singular association with Patagonia. . . Given how derivative the GAP Infringements are of Patagonia’s original designs and logo, there is no question that GAP’s copying has been willful and deliberate.” They also argued that customers could even mistake the new products to be “one of GAP’s many collaborations.”
Details about the settlement have yet to be made public, but as of this weekend it seems that the two companies have come to some sort of agreement. Both parties agreed to drop the claims, the judge agreed to dismiss it, and thus, the case is now closed.