By AP/St. Louis Public Radio
St. Louis – North Face Apparel is suing a small suburban St. Louis company called The South Butt and the teenager who started it.
The federal lawsuit seeks unspecified damages and asks the court to prohibit The South Butt from marketing and selling its parody product line.
The North Face says it does not comment on pending litigation. However its lawsuit claims The South Butt tries to "legitimize piracy under the banner of parody."
The South Butt was started by 18-year-old Jimmy Winkelmann of Ladue to help pay for college.
It puts out products with the tag line, "Never Stop Relaxing," a parody of The North Face line, "Never Stop Exploring." Its logo is an upside-down version of the famous North Face graphic.