Grungy British footwear brand Dr Martens has launched a lawsuit against online retailer Temu, accusing it of trademark infringement.
Dr Martens alleges that Temu has used Google advertisements to promote boots on its platform, using keywords like “Dr Martens” and “Airwair.” As a result, it says, Temu’s knock-off products gained visibility over Dr Martens’ authentic ones in search results.
The legal action against Temu filed at the High Court last week, as first reported by the Sunday Times. It is not known what the bootmaking firm that was founded in 1945 is seeking.
Temu, known for offering fake versions of popular brands at discount prices, has faced scrutiny over similar practices in the US market. Bernstein analysts recently discovered that Temu’s versions of branded items often appeared first in Google searches.
Although Google’s advertising policies prohibit trademark infringement, they allow advertisers to use trademarks as keywords.
Dr Martens denied to comment on the case and Temu did not immediately respond to City A.M.‘s request for comment.
Temu and similar Chinese retailers like Shein have disrupted Western retail markets with their direct-to-consumer business models, bypassing import duties due to the low value of their shipments.
It has caused some tension between the challengers and more established players like Next and Marks and Spencer. Dr Martens has previously sued fast-fashion giant Shein for selling counterfeits.
The high street brand has also been battling bottleneck issues in its Los Angeles warehouse this year, which impacted its American wholesale channel from December.
Owned by Chinese ecommerce group PDD Holdings, Temu has experienced explosive growth. Analysts have projected Temu’s gross merchandise value (GMV) to reach $40bn in 2024, doubling from previous figures.
But PDD Holdings, led by Colin Huang, China’s third wealthiest individual, has had to invest heavily in advertising to compete with industry giants like Amazon. Analysts have also warned it is losing millions to keep prices low and lure in customers.