"We are the designers, the creators, the managers, the manufacturers, the distributors, the wholesalers. Just us two," Kozlova said.

The friends own and operate an up-and-coming clothing line called Kisa Kosmos.

"It's Russian. It means cosmic kitty," Kong said.

That name and the brand it's becoming is their bread and butter and the source of a tug of war. Recently, a competitor filed papers with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, staking claim to their name.

"It's hard enough starting your own small business without someone doing this to you," Kong said.

"It's appalling," Kozlova said. "When I first found out about it I was just like, there's no way! There's got be some sort of mistake."

Kozlova thought up the name four years ago when she started the company. Last year the women licensed the name with the state Office of Commerce and Consumer Affairs but not the federal government.

"I've heard these horror stories where people do this behind other people's backs. And when they get bigger they try to sell them their own name," Kozlova said.

The women confronted their competitor, a company called Broke 2 Gear, and asked their owners to stop. They didn't. Now the matters in court. They want other small business owners to learn from their painful lesson.

"If you've got a really good idea get it trademarked," Kong said.

Much of their profits are now tied up in legal fees. But undaunted, Kozlova and Kong are putting on a fashion show in Las Vegas in February. It'll be a first for the designers and the name they're fighting to keep.

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