Levi's takes on Japanese Denim Resellers and Manufacturers

[Astérix]

-All sales of the above mentioned brands are to be stopped by Friday, January 19, 2007 WORLDWIDE

What about giving away the remaining inventory? That certainly is not selling...

[Tarmac]

the one pair we tried on didn't have anything that looked like arcuates, so should be fine...

I thought it was the same as the current IH with one side of the arc having one thread? isnt that an arcuate? Or maybe I saw the wrong jean

[kiya]

If there's one bit of non-fact info i can spew out right now..

Please DO NOT talk about a Levi's boycott.

That's the last thing we need right now, and besides the fact, keep in mind that as absurd as all this sounds, they are in the right.

It pains me to type out that last sentence..

[Klaas]

So Levi's is now officially called Evils?

[Superstar]

if you care for your money and new jeans, yes it seems like you should worry a little...

[ayn]

so...should I seriously worry if I have a pair of flat heads on the way into the country?

too late to worry about it now, but let us know if you get them or not!!

[Superstar]

Please DO NOT talk about a Levi's boycott.

your probably much wiser than me on this point since you got ur little shop....

but i would say a boycut would be up to oneself to consider doing ? shouldnt be a global thing right ?

[horriblyjollyjinx]

basically what i heard was happening.

one key point: the suit is worldwide, which means that the manufactorers will have to alter their jeans even for the japanese market, which fortunately means (i think) that they won't stop providing jeans for american retailers, which they might if the lawsuit was just in america.

sad to see everyone bending over and taking it from levis like this, since this suit, given current copyright laws (ESPECIALLY in japan) would be nearly undefendable in court. but levis has tons of money and these companies don't.

How do you know it's worldwide? The reason the have been able to make jeans with red tabs for decades in Japan must be because Levi's doesn't have the trademarks in Japan.

To me it seems that the lawsuit must be because they infringed Levi's trademarks in the US, and have to alter the design of jeans sold in Japan. How can they suddenly get the power to keep them from using the red tab in Japan?

And yeah, I'm not really familiar with the term "speakeasy", but if it means I can buy japanese jeans for less, LET ME KNOW!!

[Tarmac]

This is such bad timing. Why couldn't Levi's have done this a year ago?

[tays]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speakeasy

I should've trademarked "denim speakeasy."

[Blackplatano]

look at the bright side...

now those jean companies can get more creative and break away from under Levi's shadow.

It's the begining, not the end.

[Superstar]

And yeah, I'm not really familiar with the term "speakeasy", but if it means I can buy japanese jeans for less, LET ME KNOW!!

a "speakeasy" is an establishment that was used for selling and drinking alcohol during the prohibition period in the US... therefore they were selling alcohol without the police knowing it... most speakeasies came with a secret back-entrance so everyone could escape when the police came...

[sidneylo]

so flat head is not being sued? or are flat heads included in the ban?

oui. 10char

[Tarmac]

so flat head is not being sued? or are flat heads included in the ban?

I'm sure flat heads would be named, though maybe you are in the clear *at the moment*. Levis was probably not aware of them when they finished writing up their lawsuit 6 months ago or whenever.

[fndmybetterhalf]

man i think i jsut shit myself alittle after reading htis... i guess i kinda saw it coming like most of you guys. but shit, i was plannnin on gettin a pair of flatheads soon too :[

hopefully those repro brands can come up with some fresh shit... excited for what they can come up with.

[khaltire]

Damnit, first the SC arcuate, now these.. I was about to order a pair of SD-101 just because I love theirs so much, I really want the arcuate. Besides, they have a blue and white tab anyways.. So youre telling me its not possible to order some from their website at this point in time??

Stupid Levi's.. I never really liked em anyways, I cant find jeans in my size in their stores, their denim is inferior to these Japanese companies, and they are overpriced for what they are (Japanese is also overpriced, but you pay for exclusivity, not the case with Levis). The size thing is the one reason I love Jap denim though

[polishmike]

I would like to know more, especially how levis can stop the sales in Japan. Even if these are small companies I don't see how they would just give up without a fight.

[verb]

Not sure if any of you guys use the site, but I posted this story on Digg to create some awareness:

http://digg.com/world_news/Levi_s_sues_American_clothing_stores_for_selling_Japanese_jeans

It's horrible that the stores themselves are feeling the brunt of the lawsuit.

[meta]

Woah, that's pretty insane. Prices of these jeans are going to go up so much for those who bought them before the ban.

[Klaas]

Damn, how the in f!@#ck can I now get those SD 101's - pre Evil lawsuits?

[bluespring]

holy smokes!!! now i dont know if i can even purchased SD's with the arcuates

[percy]

personally i dont see what the problem is. all they have to do is change some detailing and thats it, over. they can still produce all their same jeans and people can buy them, or do you only buy jeans because they have a tab and arcuate? why have copyright law if anyone who wants to can infringe it and not pay? at least it isnt as bad as someone like rolex usa who wouldnt even allow rolex watches bought in europe etc to be shipped into the country.

the people who really could suffer from this are the retailers, who now have stock they cant sell because it breaks the law. however i suspect that items manufactured before a certain date may be fine as a ruling hadnt been made. will the manufacturers cover the cost for replacement items, or will it eventually end up coming out of the customers pocket?

[grapz]

so if u were in hk, and went to a shop in Hk , could u buy samurais still

or are all samurais being taken outta the shelves?

[poly800rock]

there are so many random fuck brands in japan, it's tough to say who would be named. I can name like 5 brands that have the red tab that aren't on that list.

seriously though, i might have to break my ban on jeans JUST to get a pair of BOOTLEGGERS '66 from 2000db.

[ayn]

dugg it, but holy shit now sufu is gonna fucking crash very soon, LOL... well, hopefully (and I am pretty sure) it won't make it to the front page... digg is a bunch of kids... i like reddit better...

[joshua]

Damn, really wanted to buy the ONI Blue as I really liked the backpocket stitching.

Well, after this lawsuit I'm just going to love my SDA sd-103 even more.

Now I kinda regretted that I just sold my Sugarcane 1947...)-:

[fallen angels]

so if u were in hk, and went to a shop in Hk , could u buy samurais still

or are all samurais being taken outta the shelves?

if you read the OP, according to our source Kiya :

"All sales of the above mentioned brands are to be stopped by Friday, January 19, 2007 WORLDWIDE"

"All product with any of the above mentioned accents must be pulled from the shelves of every store in the world by Friday, January 19"

[englandmj7]

Whoah; crazy. I guess I need to get down to Self Edge and get me some jeans before they change them up and remove stitching, etc.......

How is this going to effect the shop Kiya? Do you have to send back said stock in the next two days?

Screw Levi's anyway; sure, these companies are somewhat piggybacking off of them, but not to the extent that it is negatively affecting their business; if anything, it is helping them.....

[alitarbegshe]

1stly, this is not without precedent, levi have gone head to head with many companies, from diesel, evisu and even tesco (uk chain of supermarkets)

I can see where they are coming from. For them, their biggest biggest asset is their branding, and it is understandable they will protect it with everything they've got. Even letting a cottage industry like small japanese firms create jeans that are a "nod to history and a tribute" is setting a precedent which will come smack them in the face in the future.

So all they are asking is the removal surface embroidery. Big deal. easily fixed. Normal service will resume in a few weeks and this will blow over quite quickly. Will be intersting to see how SDA Samurai Sugarcane come up with regards to distinctive back pocket logo.

[PG2G]

I hope they just leave their back pockets plain and don't do anything stupid.