Levi’s Turns to Suing Its Rivals – New York Times

United States Patent and Trademark No. 1,139,254 is not much to look at: a pentagon surrounding a childlike drawing of a seagull in flight.

But the design for a Levi’s pocket, first used 133 years ago, has become the biggest legal battleground in American fashion.

Levi
Strauss claims that legions of competitors have stolen its signature
denim stitches — two intersecting arcs and a cloth label — for their
own pockets, slapping them on the seats of high-priced, hip-hugging
jeans that have soared in popularity.

So Levi’s is becoming a
leader in a new arena: lawsuits. The company, once the undisputed king
of denim and now a case study in missed opportunities, has emerged as
the most litigious in the apparel industry when it comes to trademark
infringement lawsuits, firing off nearly 100 against its competitors
since 2001. That’s far more than General Motors, Walt Disney or Nike, according to an analysis by research firm Thomson West.