For years, confusion has quietly accompanied one of South Africa’s most recognised clothing labels. Now, after decades of legal tussles and marketplace uncertainty, the Polo brand may finally be heading toward a single, unified identity.
The shift follows a major decision by the Competition Commission, which has approved Ralph Lauren Corporation’s move to acquire the locally owned Polo trademarks from the LA Group, as per BusinessTech.
This development marks a turning point for two similarly named brands that have coexisted but never belonged to the same company.
While many shoppers may have assumed South Africa’s Polo shirts came from the American fashion house, the reality has always been more complicated.
As explained in the reporting from the publication, South Africa’s Polo label and Ralph Lauren’s Polo are ‘two different brands owned by two different companies,’ each with its own trademarks and market presence.
Ralph Lauren registered its famous horse-and-rider logo in 1967, but in 1976, LA Group registered a similar mark locally, a move that later prevented Ralph Lauren from selling its own Polo-branded clothing here.
Legal experts cited by the publication noted that an attempt by Ralph Lauren to reclaim the mark in 1977 failed because older trademark laws favoured geographical priority over international fame.
The result; South Africans have spent nearly half a century wearing Polo garments that have no affiliation with Ralph Lauren.
With the proposed acquisition now approved, the Commission has made it clear that it does not expect competition issues to arise.
However, it attached key public-interest conditions, as among them is a temporary safeguard; LA Group ‘is prohibited from retrenching any permanent employees involved in the manufacture, distribution, and retail of Polo-branded products’ linked to the assets being sold.
The history between Polo and Ralph Lauren has always been tangled, but matters intensified between 2015 and 2022 when LA Group became embroiled in an unexpected dispute with the United States Polo Association (USPA).
The USPA, which is represented locally through Stable Brands, sold merchandise as US POLO ASSN., also featuring a polo-player logo.
LA Group accused the USPA of trademark infringement in 2015, but the case swung in a surprising direction when the High Court stripped more than 40 trademarks from LA Group.
Stable Brands argued that shoppers ‘would not be aware that there are two different Polo brands, and would therefore not know which Polo they are purchasing.’
Court filings during this period also revealed the long-rumoured coexistence agreement between LA Group and Ralph Lauren, an arrangement that allowed Ralph Lauren to use the Polo name for cosmetics, while LA Group retained freedom in apparel.
The legal tide shifted again in 2022, as the Supreme Court of Appeal overturned the High Court ruling, reinstating LA Group’s trademarks.
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