There was one guy in California who successfully sued Home Depot after they knocked off his Christmas Tree stand, which was patented. So you can beat a big retailer in some cases. But trade dress claims are more difficult.
When Igloo and Coleman kept selling super-duper "5 day" coolers that would only keep ice 2 days, with hinges and latches that were frequently breaking, I admired Yeti for actually building one that kept ice cold longer, and was extremely durable. That I could respect. And the "super coolers" you see for sale in the market usually cost about the same as a Yeti.
Their Super-mugs? Ummmm....I think Thermos had that done a looonnnggg time ago. I bought one as a gift, and yes it works nicely, but they really didn't innovate that.
