The north face clothing company gets the joke but would rather a University of Missouri freshman not use a logo that so closely resembles its corporate trademark.
Jimmy Winkelman’s two-year-old clothing line, southbutt, spoofs the corporate company with a reversed image of The North Face mountain logo.
The company has asked Winkelmann to stop selling the southbutt clothing.
"The North Face is all for creativity, ‘butt’ we opposed Jimmy Winkelmann’s logo in order to protect our famous trademark," Aaron Carpenter, vice president of marketing, said in a statement. "We respect genuine, entrepreneurial spirit; we are built on it. However, it’s also important to maintain integrity and strong ethics in any business endeavor — such as the creation of a unique logo and brand identity."
Winkelmann’s attorney, Albert Watkins, contends the southbutt is not a trademark infringement because consumers won’t confuse the two brands.
"My marching orders are to do all that is necessary to keep affordable southbutt products available to the public," Watkins said. "Apparently my client’s faith in the intellect of the public transcends that of the adversary."
The North Face has not pursued legal action, but Winkelmann told the Tribune earlier this week he would fight it if the company does sue.
"I don’t really think people are going to get confused between a North Face jacket and a southbutt jacket," he said. "Those are in opposite directions. … I’m not trying to diminish The North Face, just offer people an alternative."
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