Outdoor clothing retailer Patagonia Inc and Gap Inc have reached a settlement in a lawsuit concerning the alleged unauthorized replication of Patagonia’s iconic snapped flap pocket. The case, filed by Patagonia in November 2022, claimed that Gap deliberately sold fleece jackets featuring similar design elements without obtaining permission.
On Wednesday, the judge dismissed the case as both companies informed the court about their settlement agreement and mutual decision to withdraw their respective claims. The specific terms of the settlement were not disclosed to the public.
When approached for comments, representatives from Gap and Patagonia did not respond immediately.
In its complaint, Patagonia accused Gap of intentionally creating confusion among consumers by selling jackets that imitated Patagonia’s flap pocket and rectangular “P-6” logo without proper authorization. Patagonia alleged that shoppers might mistake these jackets as genuine Patagonia products or assume that Patagonia had granted Gap permission to use its trademarks.
Gap, on the other hand, refuted these allegations and argued in court documents that Patagonia had waited too long to initiate the lawsuit. Additionally, Gap filed a counterclaim, seeking a ruling from the court that Patagonia’s Snap-T pullover fleece design does not enjoy legal protection.
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