High Court Commercial Division has ordered Rida International to pay a staggering Shs16.768 billion to its rival, Migoo Industrial and Trading Company (U) Limited, for blatantly copying its product design and confusing Ugandan consumers.
The High Court Commercial Division, presided over by Justice Stephen Mubiru, hit Rida with Shs12.768 billion in special damages and Shs4 billion in general damages. The judge also slapped Rida with a permanent injunction, completely banning them from manufacturing, selling, importing, or distributing the copycat gumboots.
The fierce legal battle exposed how Rida deliberately went after Migoo’s market share:
The Origin: Migoo built its stellar reputation and distinct gumboot design over nearly a decade, starting in 2012.
The Copycat, Rida later rolled out lookalike gumboots with an identical shape, configuration, and pattern—selling them to the same customers at a much lower price.
Rida initially used a visible logo to distinguish its boots However, they later removed it, making the products look almost identical to Migoo’s.
Distributors testified that confused customers bought Rida’s cheaper boots by mistake, only realizing the error after noticing differences in quality. They later flooded back to exchange them for genuine Migoo boots.
Justice Mubiru ruled that a passing-off case does not require every consumer to be confused—just a significant number. Rida’s copycat tactics forced Migoo to slash its wholesale prices from Shs10,500 down to Shs7,000 just to stay competitive.
Backed by VAT returns and tax records, Migoo proved it lost Shs12.768 billion between 2017 and 2021 due to this forced price drop. The court awarded the full amount, plus Shs4 billion for damage to Migoo’s goodwill and reputation.
To make matters worse for Rida,the Shs12.768 billion award will attract a 15% annual interest rate stretching back to May 2019. The Shs4 billion award will accumulate 6% annual interest until paid in full.
Rida tried to fight back with a Shs1.5 billion counterclaim. They accused Migoo of maliciously using the police to raid their factory in 2019, seizing moulds and halting production for a month.
The judge threw out the counterclaim with costs. Justice Mubiru ruled that the police acted independently after conducting their own investigations, and the seized property remained in state custody, not Migoo’s.
In an interesting twist, Justice Mubiru cancelled the registered industrial designs of both companies (Rida’s 2018 registration and Migoo’s 2019 registration). The court found the basic gumboot design was already common in the wider market and not entirely new.
However, the judge clarified that a business does not need a registered design to win a passing-off case. Because Migoo had spent years building a trusted reputation and customer base, it had every right to protect its brand from a competitor looking to cash in on its hard work.
