Morrow Ni Invalidates UGG Boot Design Patent After A Four-Day Jury Trial

A unanimous jury in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California has returned a complete defense verdict in favor of Morrow Ni’s client, Quince, finding that Deckers Outdoor Corporation's design patent for the UGG Classic Ultra Mini Boot is invalid.

The verdict concludes a lawsuit that Deckers filed against Quince in 2023, in which Deckers asserted three trade dress claims and one design patent claim. The case never reached a jury on the trade dress claims. In October 2024, the Court granted Quince's motion for summary judgment, finding that two of the UGG trade dresses are generic and therefore unprotectable. Earlier this year, Deckers voluntarily moved to dismiss the remaining trade dress claim, which the Court dismissed with prejudice. By the time the case proceeded to a four-day trial, only the design patent claim remained.

At trial, Morrow Ni argued that the design patent was invalid on three independent grounds: that the claimed design is functional, indefinite, or obvious in light of prior art. The jury agreed, returning a verdict in Quince's favor invalidating the Deckers patent.

"The jury's verdict sends a clear message: a single corporation cannot own this basic sheepskin boot design," said Xinlin Li Morrow, founding partner of Morrow Ni and lead trial counsel for Quince. "We are proud to have helped vindicate Quince's mission to provide high-quality essential goods at accessible prices."

The Morrow Ni trial team included Xinlin Li Morrow, Lawrence Yuan, and Ryan McMenamin.