
BLOOMBERG/PATRICK T. FALLON
Nike has increased the pressure on Skechers, filing another lawsuit accusing its rival of building its business by copying patented shoe features, reported Bloomberg.
In the latest patent-infringement lawsuit, filed in federal court in Los Angeles, Nike claims Skechers’ Skech-Air Jumpin’ Dots and Mega shoes are using the air and footwear cushioning inventions developed by the Beaverton, Oregon-based company.
Nike stated that “Instead of innovating its own designs and technologies, Skechers’ business strategy includes copying its competitors’ designs and using innovative technologies developed by others to gain market share.”
This is the fourth lawsuit Nike has filed against Skechers, including one that accused Skechers of copying the iconic Chuck Taylor shoes that has been simmering for five years.
Separately, a US International Trade Commission judge earlier this month found that Skechers was not infringing Nike trademarks; the case now heads to the full commission for a final decision. A 2017 lawsuit Nike filed over patented designs for its Flyknit is pending in Oregon.
Skechers responded by posting a full-page ad in the New York Times and Tweeter that called Nike a ‘bully’ and said the company was using its vast resources to stifle competition in the courtroom rather than compete in the marketplace.
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