As It Turns Out, The Navajo People Do Not Like UO Selling The “Navajo Hipster Panty”
This came up way back in October, and we totally though we weren’t going to hear anything else about it, but it seems the Navajo people decided enough is enough.
Last fall, Urban Outfitters had been seling flasks, tote bags, panties, and over a dozen other items branded with the Navajo name, which is trademarked. After receiving a letter from the tribe, UO pulled the items from its online store, but according to a lawsuit, “continued to sell the products through its subsidiaries.” So now the Navajo tribe has filed a lawsuit, “to get Urban Outfitters to desist using the Navajo name and trademark, and … [receive] monetary damages that will be determined during the discovery process.”
This has been the kind of move we have come to expect from UO every few months: someone threatens to sue for stealing their idea or trademark infringement or whatever, UO apologizes and pulls the items, and then in a few months a new problem comes up. We didn’t expect this issue to come up again, and it seems that no number of Banksy books or “vintage” furniture can solve it.
