Increase in Sales of Nike Reusable Bag Reforms
Trademark Infringement When Using 'Swoosh' Logo
The price of bags remodeled from reusable shopping bags by the global sports brand 'Nike' has surged by dozens of times, sparking controversy. There are also concerns about trademark infringement.
On the 31st, a post titled 'The current status of Nike shopping bags found only in Korea' was uploaded on an online community. According to the author, Mr. A, cases of reselling Nike's reusable shopping bags, which are sold for 1,000 to 3,000 won, customized for about 70,000 to 110,000 won, are increasing.
In fact, this trend is appearing in several custom specialty shopping malls. They place Nike's iconic 'Swoosh' logo prominently and reprocess the bags into mini crossbody bag forms. Since the reusable bag was launched in 2021, many remodeling content videos have been uploaded on YouTube and other platforms.
On a secondhand trading site, a seller listed a bag for 79,000 won (75,000 won cash price), stating, "The reusable bag was dismantled into fabric, and the fabric was hand-cut one by one, then sewn at the position where the (Swoosh) printing could shine the most."
They added, "Although it is extremely unproductive, it requires aesthetic sense, and finding a manufacturer skilled in cutting and sewing to make the product was no easy task," and "This is a polite response to opinions that the price is expensive compared to the reusable bag price." However, the product is currently sold out.
Regarding this, Mr. A questioned the legitimacy of the sales, saying, "Isn't this trademark infringement? The card and amount differ when paying in cash," and "I think the National Tax Service will contact them, and Nike's legal team might be preparing a lawsuit."
Among netizens, comments such as "It's problematic to profit openly with the logo on it when Nike does not officially supply it," "Even if it's remodeled, there are trademark and ownership rights, so it's 100% illegal," and "It's trademark infringement, so how can they openly engage in commercial activities?" have continued.
The act of remodeling and selling using the Nike logo is highly likely to be judged as trademark infringement. According to the Trademark Act, using a trademark identical or similar to another person's registered trademark on identical or similar designated goods constitutes trademark infringement. Those who infringe trademark rights may face imprisonment of up to seven years or a fine of up to 100 million won.
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