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Global jeans giant Levi’s has launched legal action against Australian clothing company Globe and one of its brands for sewing tags on to pockets – which it says is “blatant copying” of its trademark design.
The US denim giant made the same claim 15 years ago against the same brand, S-Double, founded by Shawn Stussy and owned by Melbourne-headquartered Globe.
Levi Strauss and Co regularly files lawsuits over the small fabric tab on the outside edge of its jeans’ and shirts’ pockets, with Yves Saint Laurent and Brunello Cucinelli among the brands taken to court in recent years.
Levi’s products have had pocket tabs since 1936, according to its website.
Court filings in the northern district of California show Levi’s alleges the brand, S-Double, is guilty of trademark infringement, trade dress infringement, unfair competition, false advertising and “blatant copying”.
Levi’s alleged it had lost sales and faced “incalculable and irreparable damage to [its] goodwill, reputation and standing with consumers”. It alleged the brands had targeted it by infringing its trademarks and that they knew their use of the pocket tab would harm Levi’s.
“The Tab trademark is famous and recognised around the world and throughout the United States by consumers as signifying authentic, high-quality [Levi’s] garments,” the filing reads.
“[It] was famous among the general consuming public long before Defendants began selling the products challenged in this Complaint.”
Levi’s alleged it settled a 2010 lawsuit with S-Double after the brand committed to avoid selling pants that had “a label or tab or tab-like device, regardless of shape or color, affixed in any manner on a vertical seam of a rear pocket”.
S-Double then allegedly resumed selling clothes bearing “nearly identical” pocket tabs, including shirts and pants with red, rectangular tabs on the outer edge of pockets, according to the filing. Shirts with white tabs also allegedly infringed Levi’s trademark.
Levi’s alleged it notified S-Double and Globe in March 2026 of the claimed infringement. It said it demanded they stop selling the products and provide sales information for all products featuring infringing pocket tabs since 2011, but received no response.
“Defendants’ actions have caused and will cause LS&Co. irreparable harm for which money damages and other remedies are inadequate,” the lawsuit reads.
The brand has asked the court to stop S-Double from selling any goods resembling the pocket tab trademark and force it to provide a full list of people to whom they sold items breaching the trademark. It has asked to be paid for all profits related to the sale of alleged infringing products, its own lost profits, damages, interest and legal costs.
Levi’s is worth an estimated $8.8bn on the NYSE. Globe is worth just $71m (A$100m) and makes most of its sales in Australia. S-Double and Globe were contacted for comment.
Levi’s has said on its website it uses a range of colours and logos on its pocket tabs, leaving about one in 10 completely blank, to ensure it maintains its trademarks on the tab design.
“Some individuals might use a tab on their products but alter the name, attempting to argue that it’s not an imitation due to the name change,” the website reads. “Our blank Tab trademark protects the shape of the Tab itself – regardless of what is written on it.”
