Skechers USA said it plans to “vigorously defend” itself against a lawsuit from HandsFree Labs, the parent of sneaker brand Kizik, accusing Skechers of infringing on the company’s patents with its Skechers Hands Free Slip-Ins range.
In the lawsuit filed last week in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, HandsFree Labs charged Skechers of “knowingly and willfully” infringing on its patents in developing its Hands Free Slip-ins line. According to the suit, HandsFree has over 200 issued and pending patents, dating back more than 15 years, covering multiple proprietary hands-free footwear systems. Since 2019, HandsFree Labs has also licensed its technologies to partners, including Nike.
HandsFree Labs said in a media release that Skechers “launched its own hands-free line without communicating or licensing, instead promoting its ‘Heel Pillow’ system as proprietary and ‘exclusive.’”
HandsFree Labs noted in the court filing that Skechers’ officials, on earnings calls and in public statements over the past few years, had called out Slip-ins as a major driver of growth.
CEO Gareth Hosford of HandsFree Labs said in a media release, “The real danger here isn’t just to our company, it’s to innovation itself. When billion-dollar brands can openly copy protected technologies and profit from doing so with no consequences, it sends a dangerous message to every entrepreneur, engineer, and inventor: your work doesn’t matter. We can’t accept that. And we won’t.”
In a response issued on Monday, July 28, 2025, Skechers called the infringement allegations “baseless.” Skechers said, “As owners of a vast portfolio of intellectual property, Skechers respects the rights of others. Kizik’s complaint is based on the assertion that Kizik created the hands-free footwear category and is the only company that can legally use that century-old idea.”
Skechers also stated that, contrary to Kizik’s assertions that its patents have been rejected, “Skechers has developed its own unique slip-in technology and has obtained more than 140 utility and design patents worldwide, including in the U.S.”
In the statement, Skechers’ President Michael Greenberg further questioned the timing of Kizik’s lawsuit, which follows the announcement in early May that Skechers would be acquired by 3G Capital for about $9.4 billion.
Greenberg stated, “The timing of this lawsuit is curious, coming on the heels of Skechers announcing a $9.42 billion merger with 3G Capital. Kizik asserts that, ‘at the heart of Skechers’ hands-free shoes’ are Kizik’s patented technologies, yet Skechers has been advertising and selling its Slip-ins since December 2021 without so much as a letter from Kizik. Then, after the merger is announced, Kizik hires a law firm also used by Nike and attacks our whole Slip-ins product line. We believe that, after all these years of silence, the true motivation for this lawsuit might be found right on the face of Kizik’s complaint, where they state that they are looking for a share of the $9.42 billion being paid for Skechers, money Kizik did not earn and does not deserve.”
Greenberg continued, “Hands-free footwear has been around for at least a century. It was not created in the 21st Century in Utah. We have become the market leader in the hands-free footwear space by innovating — not imitating — this idea into a true hands-free fit with our own technology. Skechers invests tremendous resources into research and development to introduce its own fresh, unique and exciting footwear to customers year in and year out and will continue to do so, undeterred by transparent litigation efforts to thwart competition. We will aggressively challenge both the validity of the patents and the infringement claims.”
Image courtesy Skechers USA
