The British footwear brand has filed a lawsuit against Chinese e-commerce platform Temu, accusing the online retailer of trademark infringement. Dr. Martens has taken legal action, launched at the UK's High Court last week, alleges that Temu has been using Google advertisements to promote boots on its platform by utilizing keywords such as "Dr. Martens" and "Airwair."
The complaint claims that Temu's actions have resulted in the company's look-alike boots appearing above Dr. Martens' original products in Google search results. This alleged manipulation of search results has raised concerns about the potential impact on Dr. Martens' brand visibility and consumer confusion.
The lawsuit also asserts that Temu's practices violate Google's own advertising policies, which prohibit trademark infringement. However, it is important to note that Google typically allows advertisers to use trademarks as keywords, even if the ads themselves cannot infringe on trademark rights.
Temu, known for offering discounted versions of popular brands, has faced scrutiny for similar practices in the US market. Analysts have observed that Temu's products often appear first in Google searches, surpassing the original branded items.
This is not the first time Dr. Martens has taken legal action to protect its intellectual property. The company has previously sued fast-fashion giant Shein for selling counterfeits of its iconic footwear. The lawsuit against Temu comes at a time when the Chinese e-commerce platform has been experiencing rapid growth.
Analysts project Temu's gross merchandise value (GMV) to reach $40 billion in 2024, doubling from previous figures. However, this growth has come at a cost, with Temu's parent company, PDD Holdings, investing heavily in advertising to compete with industry giants like Amazon.
