In the footwear industry, running into lawsuits with other shoe distributing companies is almost a commonality. With strict intellectual property rules that protect artistic works, designs, and symbols, it is hard for companies like Adidas and Skechers to differentiate from one another, especially when a hot trend has taken over the market.
This is why Adidas has been recently involved in a lawsuit against Skechers regarding patent infringement. Adidas filed the lawsuit against Skechers claiming it copied one of Adidas’ successful product designs, infringing on its valuable intellectual property.
The Springblade shoe, Adidas’ original design, is a running shoe with individually turned blades that has features which help propel runners forward with its energy efficient design. Not too long after its release, Skechers decided to introduce their own new shoe with very similar features. Skechers’ Mega Blade 2.0 serves as a cheaper version of the Springblades, and Adidas does not want to have their business undercut by their own stolen design. The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon (Portland Division).
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This is certainly not the first time Skechers has had to battle Adidas in court. About a year ago, Skechers was sued by Adidas for allegedly stealing its classic Stan Smith shoe design. The Onix sneakers by Skechers again looked too similar to Adidas design, so the court decided to award a preliminary injunction against Skechers, meaning it would not be allowed to sell the Onix sneakers until the court could rule on the merits.
(Image via consumerist.com)
About four months after this preliminary injunction, Skechers was hit hard with another lawsuit, this time with competing company Nike. Nike sued Skechers for patent infringement on eight Nike design patents issued to the company over the last two years.
The “overall appearance of the designs of the Nike patents and the corresponding designs of Skechers’ infringing shoes are substantially the same,” said Nike in the lawsuit. Nike asks the court to order Skechers to cease selling the allegedly infringing products and for additional remedies, including profits from the sales of the products.
Clearly, intellectual property infringement is common in the shoe-making industry. When one trend catches on, companies will want to get a little piece of the pie before the trend dies out. Even higher-end brands such as Isabel Marant, Common Projects, and Saint Laurent find themselves in these types of lawsuits, so the notion of borrowing successful ideas to create new shoes for consumers is not mutually exclusive to companies more focused on making active trainers. Instead, these companies will have to continue sorting out their feuds in the court system to protect their valuable designs.