SINGAPORE: United States retail giant Target on Sep 24 initiated opposition proceedings against Singapore fashion brand Aupen’s trademark registration application in the country.
According to a notice of opposition filed with the US Patent and Trademark Office, Target first sent inquiry letters to Aupen, and when no response was received, it reached out to Aupen’s lawyers. Target’s notice of opposition states that Aupen did not respond to any of its letters, and Aupen’s lawyers provided “no substantive response” to Target’s letters of inquiry.
The Patent and Trademark Office on Saturday (Sep 27) gave Aupen 60 days to respond to the filing through its Electronic System for Trademark Trials and Appeals.
If Aupen does not respond by the end of the 60-day period, that is by Nov 26, it may face a “default judgment” and the “abandonment” of its application.
Based on a Patent and Trademark Office document, a trial for this dispute would likely take place between August 2026 and April 2027.
Aupen, founded in 2022, is known for its asymmetrical leather handbags, which have been carried by several A-list celebrities, including Taylor Swift, Beyonce and Kylie Jenner.
Target relaunched its line of intimates and sleepwear, called Auden, in July 2024.
In 2017, Target registered its Auden trademark in the US and in Singapore for different categories of products, while Aupen applied to register its Aupen trademark in the same countries in 2023.
The Aupen trademark was successfully registered in Singapore in 2023 and remains valid. No challenge to the trademark has been filed in Singapore.
On Aug 25, Aupen posted a legal letter from Target on Instagram that said its customers in the US might be confused by the Aupen trademark, given its similarities with Target’s Auden trademark. Target sought information on Aupen’s current and intended use of the Aupen trademark.
Amid the trademark battle, Aupen and its founder, Nicholas Tan, were issued correction directions under the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act for allegations made online about Singapore’s intellectual property authority.
Earlier this month, Aupen said that it would be laying off employees. Checks by CNA on Monday showed that their website had no products listed.
