If "imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then a Chinese knockoff brand just gave Baltimore-based athletic apparel giant Under Armour the ultimate compliment," according to Kelyn Soong of the WASHINGTON POST. Though "it does not appear Under Armour sees it that way."
Chinese sports apparel company
Uncle Martian launched this week posting images Friday on social media of the brand’s logo, "which shares a striking, nearly carbon-copy resemblance to Under Armour -- complete with the red-and-white color scheme." Not surprisingly, Under Armour "is not pleased with the blatant copy-cat attempt and plans on taking legal action." Company spokesperson Diane Pelkey said, "Under Armour is aware of the Uncle Martian launch event. Uncle Martian’s uses of Under Armour’s famous logo, name, and other intellectual property are a serious concern and blatant infringement. Under Armour will vigorously pursue all business and legal courses of action" (WASHINGTON POST, 4/29). In N.Y., Michael Forsythe wrote Uncle Martian’s "first foray into the athletic wear market is shoes."
One of its execs, Huang Canlong, said at a recent ceremony that the brand was going to be associated with "comfort, excellence and innovation." Chinese consumers "do not appear to be buying it." One person who uses the handle "Diving Watcher" on Weibo, China’s Twitter-like social media platform, was particularly scathing: "How come you can’t even design a logo, all you do is plagiarize, don’t you feel it’s disgusting?" (N.Y. TIMES, 4/29).
