Lululemon sues Costco for allegedly ripping off clothing designs
June 27 (Reuters) - Canadian athletic wear maker Lululemon (LULU.O), opens new tab sued Costco (COST.O), opens new tab in California federal court on Friday, alleging that the wholesaler sells "knockoff" sweatshirts, jackets and pants that unlawfully copy its products.
The lawsuit said that Costco's "dupes" violate Lululemon's patent and trademark rights in its clothing designs and are likely to confuse potential customers.
Spokespeople for Costco did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the lawsuit.
"We take the responsibility of protecting and enforcing our intellectual property rights very seriously and pursue the appropriate legal action when necessary," a Lululemon spokesperson said in a statement.
The complaint alleged that Costco sells clothes under its label Kirkland that copy Lululemon's Scuba hoodies, Define jackets and ABC pants. It cited articles from The New York Times and The Washington Post calling Costco's products "dupes" of Lululemon's and said that the similar designs could confuse buyers into thinking that Lululemon made them for Costco's private label.
"Indeed, one of the purposes of selling 'dupes' is to confuse consumers" into believing that they are the authentic products, the lawsu it said.
Lululemon requested an unspecified amount of monetary damages and a court order forcing Costco to stop selling the clothes.
The case is Lululemon Athletica Canada Inc v. Costco Wholesale Corp, U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, No. 2:25-cv-05864.
For Lululemon: Ali Razai and Brandon Smith of Morgan Lewis & Bockius
For Costco: attorney information not yet available
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