Levi Strauss & Co., also known colloquially as “Levi’s” is an American clothing company based in San Francisco. German-Jewish immigrant, Levi Strauss founded the company in 1853 when he moved from Bavaria to California to open a West Coast version of his brother’s dry goods business which was located in New York. Levi’s has now become a worldwide brand known for its range of denim jeans.
The brand became famous for its copper-riveted design, which came about by Jacob Davis, a Latvian-Jewish immigrant tailor. One of his customers kept buying cloth to reinforce torn pants which is when Davis had the idea to use copper rivets to reinforce the points of strain on pants. He teamed up with Strauss to patent the rivet design with USPTO (United States Patent and Trademark Office) in 1873 and went public with the design in 1890, with the famous “501” denim overalls.
During the 1920s, modern jeans garnered popularity with laborers in western USA, particularly cowboys, lumberjacks, and railroad workers. Levi’s then gained an influx of sales due to World War II which saw blue jeans being declared an essential commodity and becoming exclusive to those in defense work.
Their clientele changed in the 1950s and 1980s from workers to fashion statements for youth subcultures such as hippies, greasers, rockers, and mods. Levi’s also saw huge success in the 60s and 70s thanks to the acquisition of Great Western Garment Company (GWG) which introduced stone-washed jeans to Levi’s product offering and was a huge hit.
The jeans company faced difficulties in the 80s due to strong competition from cheaper overseas products. They closed around 60 manufacturing plants and moved their facilities abroad too. All of Levi’s USA factories were closed by 2003, and the company paid one of the biggest fines in U.S. labor history for their poor overseas factory conditions.
Levi’s worked on their reputation and committed to becoming the most sustainable brand of jeans in the world. In 2007, they were finally profitable again after 10 years of decline. Now Levi’s has over 2,800 company-operated stores, 15,000+ employees, and a market worth $6.39 billion.
Famous Levi’s trademarks
Levi’s is one of the biggest names in the apparel world and is synonymous with quality jeans. With a history of over 160 years and a worldwide reputation, it’s no wonder that they have over 100 trademarks registered with USPTO. In addition, Levi Strauss has had the most trademark infringement cases in the apparel industry. They’ve filed nearly 100 lawsuits against competitors, including Guess, Polo Ralph Lauren, Esprit Holdings, Lucky Brand Jeans, and more over a six-year period from 2001. Let’s take a look at some of the jean manufacturer’s most famous trademarks, registered by Levi Strauss & Co.
Levi’s
The colloquial term for a pair of Levi Strauss jeans – “Levi’s” was trademarked in 1928 and was actually trademarked as an illustration with the word “Levi’s” written in a pretty basic but bold stylized form, quite similar to what they currently use. Levi Strauss & Co is continuing to cover more with this trademark, with the most recent filings being in 2022. These cover facemasks for use during the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as merchandise for the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers’ new stadium – Levi Stadium which Strauss purchased the naming rights to. The registration for this trademark applies to:
- Overalls, jeans
- Men’s, women’s, and children’s overalls, jackets, outer shirts, coats, slacks, and pants; women’s and children’s blouses, outer shorts, pedal pushers, vests, skirts, and culottes; and women’s bras
- Clipboards, denim school bags, and luggage tags
- purses, denim shopping bags, backpacks, duffle bags, briefcase portfolios, key cases, and wallets
- belts, hats, caps, visors, and shoes
- retail store services in the field of clothing
- Socks
- Providing stadium facilities for sporting and entertainment events; providing information relating to sporting and entertainment events via the internet
- Underwear
- Non-medical grade face coverings in the nature of knit face masks being headwear
- Eyewear, namely, sunglasses, eyeglasses, and ophthalmic frames and cases therefor
- Online retail store services featuring virtual goods, namely, clothing, footwear, headwear, eyewear, bags, fashion accessories, images, and videos for use in virtual online environments and virtual online fashion shows
- Entertainment services, namely, providing online, non-downloadable virtual goods, in the nature of clothing, footwear, headwear, eyewear, bags, fashion accessories, images, and videos for use in virtual online environments and virtual online fashion shows
Levi’s logo
Levi’s has an iconic logo that is recognized worldwide. The brand has had several logo designs over its 160-year history, but one of its most recognized logos today was first used in 1892. It features two horses facing opposite directions with a pair of jeans in the middle of them. Two cowboys are whipping the horses to try and tear apart the jeans. Text on this logo includes “Levi Strauss & Co”, “San Francisco, Cal”, “Original Riveted” in a black ribbon, “Quality Clothing” and “Patented in U.S. May 20, 1873”. Strauss included imagery in this ornate logo as most cowboys couldn’t read at the time.
The current Levi logo which is also instantly recognizable worldwide features an iconic red batwing shape with white, bold “LEVI’S” written across it. It’s said that the batwing shape represents two back pockets, which Levi’s is renowned for and has patented a design for. They’ve been using this logo since 1968 and had it trademarked in the same year. It applies to:
- Trousers, jackets, shorts, shirts, skirts, and vests
- Retail store services in the field of clothing
- Providing stadium facilities for sporting and entertainment events; providing information relating to sporting and entertainment events via the internet
- Eyewear, namely, sunglasses, eyeglasses, and ophthalmic frames and cases therefor
- Online retail store services featuring virtual goods, namely, clothing, footwear, headwear, eyewear, bags, fashion accessories, images, and videos for use in virtual online environments and virtual online fashion shows
- Entertainment services, namely, providing online, non-downloadable virtual goods, in the nature of clothing, footwear, headwear, eyewear, bags, fashion accessories, images, and videos for use in virtual online environments and virtual online fashion shows
Related: How to trademark your logo
501
Many will have heard of Levi’s 501 Original Jeans which are designed to be the classic, affordable standard-fit jean in the Levi range. They are made to be timelessly stylish and built to last. The jeans were made popular in the 1950s and have survived through each generation, mostly thanks to the celebrities that have debuted them, including Marlon Brando, Marilyn Monroe, George Clooney, and Rick Springsteen. The wordmark was registered for a trademark in 1989 and applies to:
- Jeans
- Online retail store services featuring virtual goods, namely, clothing, footwear, headwear, eyewear, bags, fashion accessories, images, and videos for use in virtual online environments and virtual online fashion shows
- Entertainment services, namely, providing online, non-downloadable virtual goods, in the nature of clothing, footwear, headwear, eyewear, bags, fashion accessories, images, and videos for use in virtual online environments and virtual online fashion shows
Related: Trademarking a number
Dockers
Dockers is an American apparel company that operates under the Levi Strauss & Co. brand. They were introduced in 1986 and specialized in making khaki pants, which were more widely worn in the US during the popular “casual Fridays” of the 80s. Dockers gained huge popularity in the late 80s thanks to characters from Cheers and Seinfeld debuting the brand. Levi Strauss & Co trademarked the wordmark “Dockers” in 1987 and it applies to:
- Pants
- Shirts, blouses, skirts, shorts, sweatshirts, and jackets
- Watches
- Tote bags
- Belts, sweaters, T-shirts, and visors
- Shoes
- Eyeglasses, eyeglass frames, sunglasses, and accessories therefor, namely, eyeglass cases
- Retail clothing stores
- Luggage, carry-on bags, garment bags for travel, messenger bags, weekender bags, shoe bags for travel, toiletry cases sold empty, shaving bags sold empty, backpacks, briefcases, business cases, wallets, key cases, business card cases, key fobs made of leather and umbrellas
- Rugs and textile bath mats
Wrapping up
Levi’s is a huge brand that is recognized worldwide and is synonymous with quality jeans. Considering Levi Strauss & Co was founded in 1873, they’ve successfully adapted to each era of customers. They’ve transitioned from being exclusively for western workers to becoming an on-trend coveted designer worn by celebrities from all over the world.
Patenting their signature copper rivet design early on, as well as their back pocket double arch stitching pattern, they clearly recognize the importance of protecting their IP. They’ve also accumulated over 100 trademarks, which they are continuously updating. These trademarks include their logos, name, range of jeans, and slogans associated with the brand.
Being on top of protecting their assets has proved hugely successful for Levi’s as they lead the apparel industry in trademark infringement cases, with over 100 to their name. They most recently won a case in 2019 in China over the design of the back pockets of jeans, where they won damages and costs in addition to a ban on future infringements. Trademarking all assets with USPTO, like a name, slogan, logo or design is incredibly important in saving money, time, and headaches in future legal battles.
Learn more about other famous trademarks here.
