Ugg Australia vs Ugg Boots Made in Australia

Ugg Australia is a trademarked brand owned by the US company Deckers Brands, and its boots are manufactured overseas, mostly in China and Vietnam. In Australia, "ugg" is a legally generic term — a 2006 ruling confirmed any local maker can call their sheepskin boots "uggs," provided they're genuinely made here. So Ugg Australia and Australian-made uggs are not the same thing, despite the similar name.

That mix-up trips up a lot of shoppers, and it's not by accident — it's the result of a real trademark fight that played out in Australian courts, and a separate one that's still shaping what Australian brands can call their boots overseas. Here's how it happened, and how to tell the two apart when you're buying.

Where the confusion started

Ugg boots have been part of Australian life since surfers started wearing sheepskin boots to warm their feet after sessions in the 1950s and 60s. The word "ugg" (and its older spellings "ug" and "ugh") was already generic shorthand for sheepskin boots in Australia decades before anyone trademarked it.

In the 1970s, the style made its way to California, where it eventually caught on with surfers there too. That's the trail Deckers Outdoor Corporation (now Deckers Brands) followed when it bought the "Ugg Australia" brand in the 1990s and registered "Ugg," "Ugh," and "Ugh Boots" as trademarks in the US, and briefly, in Australia.

In 2004, Deckers' lawyers sent legal threats to a number of Australian sheepskin manufacturers and retailers, on the basis that using the word "ugg" infringed their trademark — even though those businesses had been using the term for generic sheepskin boots long before Deckers existed.

The ruling that settled it in Australia

The Australian Sheepskin Association (ASA) pushed back. Over two years, they gathered evidence that "ugg" had been used generically in Australia since at least World War I — newspaper ads, trade directories, and testimony from manufacturers who'd been calling their boots "uggs" since the 1970s.

In November 2005, ASA member Uggs-N-Rugs took the case to IP Australia. On 16 January 2006, the Trademarks Office ruled that the evidence was "overwhelming": "ugg boots," "ug boots," and "ugh boots" were declared generic terms in Australia, and Deckers' "Ugh-Boots" trademark was removed from the register.

The upshot: in Australia, any manufacturer can legally call their sheepskin boots "uggs." Deckers still owns the brand Ugg Australia, and it still owns the word "ugg" as a trademark in most other countries — just not here.

Why "ugg" is still a protected brand name outside Australia

The 2006 ruling only settled the question in Australia and New Zealand. Everywhere else, Deckers' trademark still stands — and it's been tested since, with the opposite result.

In 2005, a US federal court in California had already ruled that American consumers understand "UGG" as a brand name, not a generic product description, and sided with Deckers. That principle was tested again more directly in Australian Leather Pty Ltd v. Deckers Outdoor Corp., where an Australian manufacturer sold ugg-labelled boots into the US market and was sued for trademark infringement. A US jury found the infringement willful and awarded Deckers $450,000 in damages; the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit upheld that decision in 2021, and the US Supreme Court later declined to hear a further appeal, leaving the ruling in place.

The practical result: "ugg" is legally generic in Australia and New Zealand, but it remains Deckers' protected trademark in the US and most other major markets, including the EU, China, and Japan. That's why an Australian-made brand can call its boots "uggs" here, but selling or marketing the same boots under that name overseas risks the exact legal action Australian Leather faced.

Ugg Australia vs. Australian-made uggs

The practical difference usually shows up in the construction: locally made uggs tend to use heavier sheepskin and hand-finished, double-stitched seams, while mass-produced pairs lean on lighter materials and machine assembly to hit a lower price point.

How to tell you're buying genuinely Australian-made uggs

Since anyone in Australia can legally use the word "ugg," the word alone doesn't guarantee the boots were made here. A few things worth checking before you buy:

• Look for a clear country-of-origin statement — not just "Australian owned" or "designed in Australia," which can both be true of boots assembled overseas.
• Check for the Australian Made Campaign logo (the green-and-gold kangaroo) — it's only licensed to businesses that have had their local manufacturing claim independently verified.
• Ask where the sheepskin itself is sourced and tanned, not just where the boots are assembled — some brands do final assembly locally while sourcing materials overseas.
• Be wary of steep discounts on "Australian made" claims — local manufacturing costs more than mass import, so an unusually cheap price is worth a second look.
• Check the stitching and wool pile — dense, consistent wool and double-stitched seams are hallmarks of hand-finished, locally made construction.

If buying a genuinely Australian-made pair matters to you, our Australian-made ugg boots and Australian-made ugg slippers are handcrafted in Melbourne from 100% Australian double-faced sheepskin, and we're an official Retail Supporter of the Australian Made Campaign.

Common questions

Is Ugg Australia the same as Australian-made uggs?

No. Ugg Australia is Deckers Brands' trademarked label, manufactured overseas. Australian-made uggs come from independent local manufacturers using the generic term "ugg," which Australian trademark law allows.

Is Ugg Australia a legitimate brand?

Yes — Deckers is a legitimate, publicly listed company and Ugg Australia is a genuine global brand. It's just not Australian-made, despite the name.

Where are Ugg Australia boots actually made?

Primarily in China and Vietnam. Deckers is based in California; the "Australia" in the name refers to the origin of the sheepskin-boot style, not the manufacturing location.

Can anyone in Australia sell boots called "uggs"?

Yes. Since IP Australia's January 2006 ruling, "ugg," "ug," and "ugh" are all generic terms here, so any Australian manufacturer can use them — provided they're not misrepresenting where the boots are actually made.

Can Australian ugg brands sell their boots as "ugg" in the US or overseas?

Generally, no. "Ugg" is only generic in Australia and New Zealand. Deckers holds the trademark in the US and most other major markets, and has successfully defended it in court — including a 2021 case against Australian manufacturer Australian Leather, which resulted in a $450,000 damages award for willful infringement.

Did Deckers lose the ugg trademark case?

Partially. Deckers lost the "Ugh-Boots" trademark in Australia in 2006, where "ugg" was ruled generic. But outside Australia, including in the US, Deckers has successfully defended its UGG trademark in court, most recently in 2021.

Is "ugg" a protected trademark anywhere outside Australia?

Yes. Deckers holds the UGG trademark in the US and most other major markets, including the EU, China, and Japan. The 2006 Australian ruling only applies within Australia and New Zealand.

How do I know if I'm buying genuinely Australian-made uggs?

Check for a clear country-of-origin statement, the Australian Made Campaign logo, and transparency about where the sheepskin itself is sourced — see the full checklist above.

Looking for the real thing? Browse our Australian-made ugg boots and Australian-made ugg slippers — every pair handcrafted in Melbourne from locally sourced sheepskin.