Uncle Martian, a new competitor for sportswear brand Under Armour in one of its main markets, China, is in hot water for co-opting the US company’s logo.
Under Armour uses a U over an inverted U that intersect to form a stylised A. Uncle Martian has the same two-U configuration, but the letters do not touch.
Apparel manufacturer Tingfei Long Sporting Goods in Fujian province, in southeastern China, is the company behind the new brand, which is offering shoes in its first foray into athletic wear.
Executive Huang Canlong says the brand aims to be associated with “comfort, excellence and innovation”. He told Shoes.net.cn he wants to create a high-profile brand with “high standards”.
Out of Baltimore in the US, Under Armour has seen its sales in China almost triple in the first quarter of this year compared with the same period last year.
Meanwhile, Chinese consumers have been criticising Uncle Martian for its blatant hijack of the Under Armour logo.
“How come you can’t even design a logo? All you do is plagiarise – don’t you feel it’s disgusting?” one critic wrote on Weibo.
Another Weibo user, Zhang Gemeng, has pointed out that such blatant copying goes against the national policy of encouraging homegrown creativity.
“Don’t blame people when they say they look down upon domestic brands,” wrote another user, indicating the move as a “loss of face” for China.
Under Armour, of course, is also unamused and is pursuing “all business and legal courses of action” according to spokesperson Diane Pelkey.
“Uncle Martian’s uses of Under Armour’s famous logo, name and other intellectual property are a serious concern and blatant infringement.”
