It’s shaping up to be a true David vs Goliath battle as niche dog magazine Dogue bites back at the publisher of fashion bible Vogue which is suing it in a battle which could shut it down.

The underdog online canine publication, whose handful of print sales are dwarfed by that of globally famous Vogue, has refused to roll over to legal action launched by Vogue’s billionaire publisher Condé Nast.

The veteran 117 year old firm says Dogue’s name and appearance has infringed Vogue’s trademarks.

But Dogue says it is Vogue that has caused confusion by directly ‘copying’ it and bringing out its own online magazine of the same name after the independent original became popular on social media.

Now dog lover and owner Oli Port, who devised and runs the light-hearted magazine featuring dressed up pets, has unleashed her fury on Condé Nast which also owns Vanity Fair, GQ and the New Yorker, accusing them of ‘stealing’ her idea.

‘They copied it after we became successful on social media,’ she insisted.

And in a stand against the publishing top dog, Ms Port, who set up the online magazine devoted to dogs in 2019, initially as a joke, sells just 100 copies of a special limited print edition, and runs it all by herself, has filed a counter claim.

‘Vogue copied my idea so I’m barking back,’ said Ms Port, who explained she managed to ‘secure legal representation right before the deadline’ and ‘responded to Condé Nast’s lawsuit with counterclaims asserting that they actually copied our name and concept’.

Oli Port created a ‘Dogue’ line featuring dogs on mocked-up magazine covers

But Ms Port’s effort (pictured) has been taken to court by the fashion magazine Vogue, which ran a similar campaign

Ms Port, whose Dogue print editions are available from just one newsstand in Beverly Hills while Vogue is sold in outlets worldwide, said it was ‘obvious’ that Vogue had stolen her idea as well as ‘the whole concept of showing dogs as the stars, instead of humans’.

She insists Dogue which is ‘devoted to dog fashion and dog culture’ has its own ‘independent brand’ and ‘own identity, content, audience and creative world’ which was seen and copied by Vogue when it became popular.

Her magazine has included labradoodles in trench coats, Italian greyhounds in opera gloves and Hungarian vizslas in bobble hats and sunglasses.

But five years after she started it, Vogue released the first of three special editions of its own online magazine featuring celebrities and their pets, in August 2024, also called Dogue.

Stars parading their pets in Vogue’s ‘copycat’ version have included Billie Eilish and her pit bull Shark, Mariah Carey and her Jack Russell Mutley and Sabrina Carpenter with Goodwin and Louie, a mixed breed and a cavapoo.

Famous dog owners Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton and his bulldog Roscoe, who sadly died last year, and Stranger Things actress Millie Bobby Brown and her miniature poodle Winnie have also featured.

Ms Port told today’s Times that it was ‘intimidating’ to be sued by ‘one of the most recognisable media companies in the world’ as ‘one person running an independent creative company’ but said ‘there are moments when you have to decide what you’re willing to stand up for’.

She is hoping to get some legal tips from Bruce Haas, the owner of Haute Diggity Dog, whose pet toy company overcame the might of Louis Vuitton in a similar row.

It was sued by the fashion house after selling plush dog toys called Chewy Vuitton.

She said it would be ‘an amazing gift and blessing’ if she could get other lawyers to weigh in as she currently has just one while Condé Nast ‘have hundreds of lawyers on their side’.

Lawyers for Condé Nast have claimed that the publication of dogs in dresses was a blow to the reputation of the publisher, was intended to confuse customers by suggesting a link between the two magazines and was ‘likely to damage it irreparably’, according to the New York Times.

They have also apparently demanded that Ms Port pays Condé Nast unspecified damages and delivers all copies of Dogue to the company ‘for destruction’.

A Condé Nast spokesman has previously claimed that the publisher had made several attempts to resolve the issue with Dogue before taking legal action, and that it took seriously the responsibility of protecting the work of its writers, photographers and creative teams as well as its intellectual property.

David Makman, the lawyer for Dogue, said it was Vogue that had created any confusion ‘by copying my client’s idea and releasing its own Dogue copycat campaign’.

‘Nobody would confuse my client’s Dogue with their Vogue brand because it’s a dog magazine and Vogue has nothing to do with dogs,’ he said.

Now Ms Port is hoping the publicity around the case and the clear support for ‘independent artists’ like her will bolster her chances of delivering her own ruff justice in this ‘crazy David and Goliath battle’.