Dupe culture thrives as jury rules UGG patent too generic
6 reported
A recent court case between Deckers, the company behind UGG boots, and Quince over lookalike shearling boots has highlighted the rise of "dupe culture," a commercial ecosystem of cheaper alternatives to name-brand products. The jury ruled that Quince had copied the UGG design but also found the patent should not have been issued because the design was too generic to protect, opening the door for other brands to make similar boots. According to a Vox podcast interview with The Verge senior reporter Mia Sato, dupes now span industries from makeup and cookware to vacations, with platforms like Amazon and TikTok introducing features to help consumers find lookalikes. Sato noted that dupes are no longer embarrassing but are embraced as life hacks, though she argued they often fail to satisfy and can make original products more aspirational. The conversation also touched on how algorithm-driven feeds encourage copying in content creation, extending dupe culture into physical goods.
What’s reported
Deckers took Quince to court over lookalike boots; the jury ruled Quince copied the design but the patent was too generic to protect.
"Dupe culture" is described as a commercial ecosystem providing cheaper alternatives to name-brand products.
Dupes now exist for items including makeup, Le Creuset Dutch ovens, Apple AirPods Max, Oura Ring trackers, and even the island of Santorini.
Amazon introduced a feature using AI to generate images from text descriptions to find similar products.
TikTok has a feature that highlights products in paused videos and links to similar dupes on TikTok Shop.
Sato stated that dupes can make original products more aspirational rather than putting them out of business.
Key figures
Mia Sato, senior reporter at The Verge
Sean Rameswaram, co-host of Today, Explained
Sources: vox.com
