Nike Sues Skechers for Allegedly Copying Two Air Max Designs
After recent legal skirmishes , Skechers is heading back to the courtroom, following allegations that the brand attempted to imitate popular Air Max designs.
Nike filed suit against the Skechers in the United States District Court for the Central District of California, alleging that it had made ‘Skecherized versions’ of its sneakers —most notably the Air Max 270 and Air VaporMax.
In a patent infringement complaint, Nike claims Skechers’ purported copying strategy is spearheaded by CEO Robert Greenberg in an attempt to gain market share, highlighting the Skech-Air Atlas, Skech-Air 92, Skech-Air Stratus, and Skech-Air Blast as the offending models.
‘Nike filed this lawsuit to continue to defend its design innovation and stop Skechers from free-riding on Nike’s significant investment of talent and resources that are deployed to innovate,’ said Nike in the suit.
Team Swoosh is seeking damages and a permanent injunction from the court for the allegedly offending designs.