Adidas filed a suit against rival footwear company Skechers, submitted to the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon. The three stripes issued a statement reading, “shameless imitations tarnish the reputation of our brand and our people who work tirelessly to research and develop technical innovations and designs that help athletes make a difference.”
The Adidas statement surrounding the new lawsuit, which claims infringement on intellectual property for the Springblade model, also cautioned, “We will not stand by and allow others to blatantly copy our products and infringe on our valuable intellectual property… This pattern of unlawful behavior and freeloading in the industry is outrageous and must end. We will take every legal measure possible to protect and defend our innovations.”
The technology up for debate in the suit is Skechers’ Mega Flex innovation.
This is not the first time Skechers has been at the receiving end of a lawsuit by Adidas. The Stan Smith Adidas model was purportedly copied by Skechers in the Onix Skechers version.
Photo courtesy Adidas.
