Columbia Sportswear Company Fights Against Sorel Brand Imitations.

Business Editors

PORTLAND, Ore.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 16, 2001

Columbia Sportswear Company(R) (Nasdaq:COLM), a global leader in the design, sourcing, marketing and distribution of active outdoor apparel and footwear, announced today that it had settled a Sorel brand design infringement dispute against BiWay stores in Canada.

Columbia had asserted that children's boots sold by BiWay infringed a popular Sorel design, owned by Columbia since September 2000, when it acquired the Sorel brand and related intellectual property.

In the settlement, BiWay agreed to donate approximately 1,000 remaining pairs of the allegedly infringing boots to a charity of Columbia's choice and to pay Columbia a portion of the profits earned by BiWay from the sale of approximately 2,500 pairs of those boots.

"The sale of Sorel knock-offs underscores the continuing popularity of Sorel styles in the marketplace, but it is simply unacceptable," said Timothy Boyle, Columbia Sportswear's President and Chief Executive Officer. "As this action shows, we're very committed to protecting our rights to this newly acquired brand and the related Sorel designs." Boyle continued, "We are extremely pleased with the Sorel footwear line that we're reintroducing at retail this year to enable consumers to purchase genuine Sorel classic designs."

Founded in 1938 in Portland, Ore., Columbia Sportswear Company is a global leader in the design, sourcing, marketing and distribution of active outdoor apparel and footwear. As one of the largest outerwear brands in the world and the leading seller of skiwear in the United States, the Company has developed an international reputation for quality, performance, functionality and value. Columbia acquired the Sorel brand in a Canadian bankruptcy proceeding in September 2000. To learn more about Columbia Sportswear and Sorel, please visit the Company's Web site at www.columbia.com or visit www.sorelonline.com.