Levi Strauss Sues Australian Brand Globe/S-Double Again Over Pocket Tab Design

Levi Strauss and Co. filed a lawsuit in the northern district of California against Australian clothing company Globe and its brand S-Double, alleging the companies copied its pocket tab design. The complaint claims S-Double and Globe are guilty of trademark infringement, trade dress infringement, unfair competition, false advertising and blatant copying.

Levi Strauss said 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. Levi Strauss alleged it had lost sales and faced incalculable and irreparable damage to its goodwill, reputation and standing with consumers.

It said the defendants targeted it by infringing its trademarks and knew their use of the pocket tab would harm Levi’s.

Court filings state that Levi Strauss notified S-Double and Globe in March 2026 of the claimed infringement and demanded they stop selling the products and provide sales information for all products featuring infringing pocket tabs since 2011. The company received no response.

Levi Strauss said defendants’ actions have caused and will cause it irreparable harm for which money damages and other remedies are inadequate.

It asked the court to stop S-Double from selling any goods resembling the pocket tab trademark and to force the company to provide a full list of people to whom it sold items breaching the trademark. The suit also seeks payment for all profits related to the sale of alleged infringing products, Levi Strauss’s own lost profits, damages, interest and legal costs.

The company regularly files lawsuits over the small fabric tab on the outside edge of its jeans’ and shirts’ pockets, and has taken brands including Yves Saint Laurent and Brunello Cucinelli to court in recent years. Levi Strauss said 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.

Its website states that some individuals might use a tab on their products but alter the name, attempting to argue that it is not an imitation due to the name change.

The company said 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. Levi Strauss alleged S-Double then resumed selling clothes bearing nearly identical pocket tabs, including shirts and pants with red, rectangular tabs on the outer edge of pockets, and shirts with white tabs.

S-Double was founded by Shawn Stussy and is owned by Melbourne-headquartered Globe.

8bn on the NYSE. Globe is worth $71m (A$100m) and makes most of its sales in Australia. S-Double and Globe were contacted for comment.