Fjällräven threatens SD with legal action – demands change of font

The Sweden Democrats’ election campaign has landed in conflict with an unexpected company. The outdoor brand Fjällräven accuses the party of copying the company’s graphic expression and demands that SD change the font on its election posters.

It is primarily the red, rounded font used in the Sweden Democrats’ campaign “Sverige är på väg” (“Sweden is on its way”) that has prompted Fjällräven to react. The company claims the design is “almost identical” to its own font and graphic style.

According to information seen by Expressen, Fjällräven contacted SD as early as the summer and demanded the party alter the campaign’s font and visual design. SD reportedly did not respond. The company has since hired legal representation and toughened its stance.

In a letter from lawyer Henrik Wistam at Westerberg & Partners, Fjällräven is now demanding that the Sweden Democrats change their font by September 1st. If the party does not comply, the company threatens with “legal action.” Fjällräven argues that a change would make SD’s campaign more clearly distinguishable from the company’s visual identity.

The background, according to Fjällräven, is that customers have noticed the similarity between the campaign and the company’s font Arctic Fox. The company claims SD’s usage constitutes an infringement of its intellectual property rights and that the association risks causing Fjällräven and the Sweden Democrats to be linked together.

“Nonsense”

SD’s party secretary Mattias Bäckström Johansson, however, dismisses the criticism.

– We have received their feedback and consider it nonsense, as we have different fonts, different colors, operate in quite different sectors, and communicate visually in very different ways, he told Expressen.

He adds that the party does not intend to halt its election campaign because of Fjällräven’s demands.

Fjällräven’s demands come as the election campaign enters a more intense phase. If SD sticks to its current graphic design, it remains to be seen whether the conflict will move from letters and demands to an actual legal process.

Fact: Fjällräven

Fjällräven is one of Sweden’s most well-known outdoor brands, founded in 1960 by Åke Nordin in Örnsköldsvik. The company started with outdoor equipment and over the years has built up a range including backpacks, jackets, trousers, tents and other outdoor gear.

The product that has made Fjällräven famous far beyond Sweden is the Kånken backpack, launched in 1978 to counteract back problems among Swedish schoolchildren. The simple, boxy design has over time become an international design classic. Fjällräven itself states that the Kånken is now used by people all over the world.

Fjällräven has also gained significant international traction, especially in the USA. The Kånken began to be sold in select American fashion stores in the late 2000s and then became visible in US fashion magazines and among celebrities. The company describes the USA as an important springboard for its global success, after which the Kånken spread further to places such as Berlin, London, and Seoul.

Between 2010 and 2017, sales of the original Kånken model increased tenfold.