Lululemon receives trademark for ‘Lululemon dupes’ phrase from U.S. office

TORONTO – Lululemon Athletica Inc. has taken another step to deter people from producing knockoffs of its athleisurewear.

Records filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office show the Vancouver-based retailer received a trademark for the phrase “Lululemon dupes” on Tuesday.

Dupes is a slang term that describes items duplicated or copied by a company that did not make the original. 

They’ve grown in popularity in recent years with everyone from cosmetics companies to fashion businesses seeing their products turned into dupes made by other brands. Influencers have also jumped on the trend, posting videos on social media that show people where they can find dupes of desirable products.

Lululemon did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

The company’s interest in dupes reached a head earlier this year, when it sued Costco for infringing on its intellectual property by selling alleged knockoffs of its Scuba hoodies and sweatshirts, Define jackets and ABC pants.

While its U.S. trademark can’t stop businesses like Costco from making or selling dupes, Erin McEwen, an Ottawa-based trademark agent at Nelligan Law, said it’s a “genius” way of hampering how fakes can be marketed or even discussed online.

“I would presume that they’re filing it just to take control over that phrase or tagline,” she said. “So when social media people are using it, then, they can send a cease-and-desist letter and stop that action.”

Lululemon first filed its U.S. trademark application in December, building on a similar move it had made even earlier in Benelux. Benelux refers to Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg.

Canada’s trademarks database shows no application for the phrase in Lululemon’s home country.

McEwen said companies typically file trademark applications across several markets, starting where they see the most possible infringements. 

She expects other companies, which see themselves as the victims of dupes, to file similar trademarks.

Lululemon’s trademark was granted months after it filed its lawsuit against Costco in a California court in June.

The legal action targeted items made by Costco’s private label Kirkland as well as other manufacturers Danskin, Jockey and Spyder.

Lululemon complained the products were a problem because some customers incorrectly assumed the items were authentic apparel. 

It also said customers were specifically purchasing them because they are difficult for less-attentive buyers to distinguish from Lululemon’s actual products.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 23, 2025.