Navajo Suing Urban Outfitters

Tribe says its trademark is being violated
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 1, 2012 1:30 AM CST
Navajo Suing Urban Outfitters
Items from Urban Outfitters' Navajo line are shown in Tempe, Arizona.   (AP Photo/Matt York)

The biggest Native American tribe in the US wants Urban Outfitters to stop using its name. The Navajo Nation has filed suit against the clothing chain, accusing it of trademark infringement and violation of the Indian Arts and Crafts Act with its sale of more than 20 products under the name "Navajo" and "Navaho," reports Reuters.

The suit says the tribe has been known as the Navajo since at least 1849, and the name was registered as a trademark in 1943. A company spokesman says the chain doesn't plan to alter its products. After the company was criticized last year for including underwear and whisky flasks in its Navajo line, a spokesman said the chain had no intention of changing its products. "The Native American-inspired trend, and, specifically, the term 'Navajo' have been cycling through fashion, fine art and design for the last few years," he told AP. (More Navajo stories.)

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