Lululemon Sues Peloton For Alleged Copy-Cat Products
In a complaint filed Monday in a California District Court, Lululemon accused Peloton of trade dress infringement, false designation of origin, and unfair competition.
According to the complaint, “Peloton imitated several of Lululemon’s innovative designs and sold knock-offs of Lululemon’s products, claiming them as its own.”
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In 2016, Peloton and Lululemon launched a wholesale co-branding partnership wherein Lululemon supplied apparel to Peloton. The items were generally co-branded with both companies’ trademarks and re-sold via Peloton’s showrooms and website. This partnership ended in 2021, after which Peloton launched its own product line.
According to Lululemon, after this partnership ended, Peloton began selling copy-cat products that infringed on six Lululemon patents. The products in question include Peloton’s Strappy Bra, Cadent Laser Dot Legging, Cadent Laser Dot Bra, High Neck Bra, and Cadent Peak Bra. The complaint also says that Peloton’s One Lux Tight imitates design elements in Lululemon’s popular Align pant.
“We are confident in our position and look forward to properly resolving this case through the courts,” said Lululemon SVP, general counsel and chief compliance officer Shannon Higginson in a statement.
Peloton declined to comment on any active litigation.
The lawsuit represents an escalation in the legal battle between both athletic powerhouses. Lululemon filed this lawsuit just days after Peloton brought the allegations to a Manhattan federal court. In this Nov. 24 filing, Peloton asked the court to reject Lululemon’s “baseless” copyright infringement claims that “lack any merit” because of clear differences that distinguish the sets of products, including the brand logos.
The filing was in response to a Nov. 11 cease-and-desist letter from Lululemon, which asked Peloton to stop selling the alleged copycat products. According to Lululemon’s complaint, Peloton asked for until Nov. 24 to respond to the letter, which is when it filed its request for rejection of the claims.
“In requesting the extension, Peloton gave Lululemon the false impression that it needed and would use the additional time to properly respond to Lululemon’s substantive allegations,” Lululemon wrote in its Nov. 30 complaint. “Instead, Peloton used the delay to secretly prepare its own complaint and preempt the lawsuit that Lululemon had so clearly threatened in its letter.”
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