Iconic Surf-Related Trademarks
The global surfing market is currently worth a cumulative $3.8 billion. To accommodate the growing demand for surf apparel, equipment, and accessories, surf brands have been budding like tulips at the start of Spring. Many have climbed the ranks, but only a select bunch have become globally recognized. These are the brands you’ll see pro surfers rocking at surf competitions across the globe. But how did they get there?
Surf culture demonstrates your marketing speaks for itself. You can identify a brand’s customers with just one lookout in the deep blue; the proof is in the pudding. Surfers may not need much when it comes to gear, but what little they do need when they’re out on the water must be reliable, durable, comfortable, and conducive to catching the best waves. The Quicksilver’s and Volcom’s of the world understand the importance of not just creating quality gear for their consumers, but also developing a brand image and marketing it in a way that surf enthusiasts can relate to.
With so many unique types of surfers and water sport users, there are numerous companies competing to meet the diversity of demands. Of course, there are many overlaps in goods and services offered, and that’s why trademarks are valuable assets to acquire early on. Trademarks safeguard brands and act as source indicators, which helps consumers understand where a good or service originates. They make it easy for prospective customers to evaluate the reputation of the producer of the goods or provider of the services. What’s more, they protect the brand from potential copyright infringement. If a surf brand’s logo or slogan is used for album artwork or something else another party seeks to monetize off of, it can become a lawsuit.
Let’s take a look at a few iconic surf brands that can in part attribute their wild success to trademarking, ultimately securing their brand’s goods and services from such infringement.
Mr. Zog’s Sex Wax
Surfers from all walks of life and skill levels can attest that Mr. Zog’s “Sex Wax” is unparalleled when placed alongside other board wax. Not only does the name “sound phonetically cool,” which is partly why the founder chose the name, but the need for the product is sewn into the sport itself, meaning there is high demand for it for eternity. Let’s be real–board wax isn’t a glamorous product, but with a name like Sex Wax, it’s easy to see why people are instantly hooked.
Mr. Zog knew early on that the brand name would be a massive hit among the surf community, and didn’t think twice about trademarking it during the inception period. Sex Wax has been trademarked since 1972, along with their pun of a slogan, “The best for your stick.” Sex Wax is inarguably one of the most memorable surfboard wax brands in history, even though other competitors use similar formulas and packaging. It is said never to spoil and is designed for all temperatures, climates, and conditions.
Due to the genius product name, any promotional materials containing the name–such as bumper stickers, hats, and shirts–are extremely popular. Any business that intends to use their trademarked logo or brand name for purchases will ultimately flop because Sex Wax has trademarked in several classes, and can press charges if anyone tries to infringe on their trademarks. Their primary trademark class is Class 4, which covers industrial oils and greases, including lubricants, wetting and binding compositions, candles, and illuminants. Sex Wax has also trademarked their goods and services under candles–perfumed candles, scented candles, scented wax, wax for sports equipment, and goods and services for apparel such as beachwear, board shorts, swimwear, and so on. If there’s one thing we can deduce from the story of Mr. Zog’s Sex Wax, it’s to come up with a clever name, and protect it early on.
Billabong
The inception of Billabong dates back to 1973 in Gold Coast, Australia. Billabong is a clothing and swim retailer whose focal point is surfing, but also produces accessories, watches, backpacks, skateboards, and snowboards. Billabong sponsors teams of riders in different subcultures that correspond with Billabong’s lifestyle and values. These riders essentially operate as ambassadors for the brand. You’ll likely see pro surfers sporting Billabong at surf competitions around the world, and their double wave logo is instantly recognizable. Billabong has several registered trademarks, including its classic logo and brand name. They’ve trademarked under international Class 9, which covers scientific, nautical, surveying, electric, photographic, cinematographic, optical, weighing, measuring, signaling, checking, life-saving and teaching apparatus instruments, and more.
Volcom
Founded in 1991, Volcom is labeled as “America’s first boarding company,” with a heavy focus on surfing, skating, and snowboarding. This evocative Lifestyle brand presents a distinctive stone logo and “true to this” slogan, which are both protected by trademarks. Volcom has created a strong and loyal consumer base and continues to develop functional sportswear and riding gear–including boards–which can be identified easily by their logo. Volcom has trademarked their goods and services, including online and retail store services featuring clothing, headwear, footwear, swimwear, and related accessories such as sunglasses, sports bags, and more. Their primary trademark is Class 25, which covers clothing such as uniforms, costumes, swimwear and all types of footwear.
O’Neil
O’Neil is an unparalleled wetsuit apparel line that has registered trademarks of their name and wave logo worldwide. Their wetsuits are manufactured at their factory in San Francisco, and their business has been operating for over 55 years. With a rich heritage and outstanding customer satisfaction, O’Neil earns the title of world’s best wetsuits, which other bands have tried to replicate for decades.
The founder of O’Neill–Jack O’Neil protected his brand early on, which enabled him to monetize greatly off the sale and licensing of his trademarks once he decided to focus on other pursuits in 2007. Now, the ownership of the brand belongs to a privately held company, and the worldwide trademarks belong to Logo International B.V. This is one amazing benefit of trademarking–it can give you the freedom to sell the rights to manufacture and sell your products worldwide, under your brand name, for a high price tag. Much like the O’Neil family did, you can work out a deal with the buyer that enables you to have continued involvement with the brand while being relatively hands-off. For the O’Neil family, the sale of their trademarks has allowed them to keep the authenticity of their brand alive and focus on new business ventures, all while earning a percentage of the revenue made from the trademarks they’ve sold.
Roxy
The founders of Roxy–a sister brand of Quicksilver–combine fashion, fitness, and function to deliver high quality and agile surf gear, namely for women. They discovered early on that there was an untapped market in women’s surf wear and jumped at the opportunity to focus on women who consider board riding a lifestyle. Their advertising–generally promoting female athletes in predominantly male sports industries–is remarkably captivating. Their heart shaped crest logo, an adaptation from the Quicksilver logo, is associated with their high performance fitness gear, designed for warmth, flexibility, and comfort.
Roxy’s annual revenue currently sits at $16 million. If they hadn’t applied for multiple trademarks in 1991, they could have been toast when a competitor sought out to market products with a similar look, feel, and purpose to Roxy. Because they were protected with trademarks, Quicksilver sued Kymsta for infringing on its Roxy trademark. This helped eliminate any confusion that caused within the apparel industry, where retailers and consumers mistakenly linked Kymsta’s brand to Quicksilver.
Nixon
You might associate Nixon with fancy and functional watches, but their surf watch stands out from the rest. This American watch brand originated in 1997 in Encinitas, California. After becoming wildly successful and securing their name in the space, they discovered a relatively untapped niche with low competition but high demand. They created a stylish waterproof watch designed for surfers, that is incredibly durable, waterproof, and can track things like the swell, the tides, and rider wave count.
Their Nixon Tide Watch is the epitome of what happens when surf breeds with tech. To protect themselves from infringement and secure their space, Nixon trademarked under several categories, though their primary trademark class is Class 14, which generally protects all items associated with jewelry, such as precious metals, charms, and fine clocks and watches.
Of course, there are plenty of other iconic surf gear and accessory brands that have infiltrated the market and established a name for themselves. If you are thinking about creating a wetsuit line, a high-tech surf accessory, durable board fins, sexy board wax, surf bags or leashes–or really anything related to surfing–trademarks are the best way to help consumers identify your products and help them latch on to your brand.
We are here to help you through your journey to becoming the next big thing in the surf industry. If you’d like expert guidance on how to protect your brand, ensuring you are the only one who has the right to manufacture and commercialize your products, connect with one of our consultants today. There are surf lawyers out there that have to deal with fighting for a brand to earn back their stripes because they didn’t adequately protect it, but we want to help you avoid this predicament. Remember, much like O’Neil did, you can use this trademark to license your products to other retailers for more profit. Why not get started and secure your surf brand today?
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