adidas Settles Three-Stripe Lawsuit Against Wal-Mart

adidas AG settled a trademark-infringement lawsuit accusing Wal-Mart Stores Inc. of copying its three-stripe design on sneakers. adidas and Wal-Mart filed a joint request on Aug. 29 to dismiss the three-year-old case in federal court in Portland, OR. A jury trial was scheduled to begin Oct. 27.


“In the interest of avoiding further litigation, the parties have reached an amicable resolution to their dispute, Wal-Mart spokeswoman Daphne Moore said in a statement e-mailed to Bloomberg News. This is the third time in 13 years that Wal-Mart settled a suit with adidas over shoe stripes.


A jury in the same court in May told Collective Brands Inc.’s Payless ShoeSource unit to pay $304.6 million to adidas for copying the trademark. Two days later, Sears Holdings Corp.’s Kmart unit settled another case over the same design.


In the latest case, adidas had sought Wal-Mart’s profit from the shoes, as well as punitive damages. The shoemaker claimed Wal-Mart made revenue of $58 million selling dozens of infringing models. adidas spokeswoman Kirsten Keck confirmed the settlement.

Adidas Settles Three-Stripe Lawsuit Against Wal-Mart

Adidas AG settled a trademark-infringement lawsuit accusing Wal-Mart Stores Inc. of copying its three-stripe design on sneakers. Adidas and Wal-Mart filed a joint request on Aug. 29 to dismiss the three-year-old case in federal court in Portland, Oregon. A jury trial was scheduled to begin Oct. 27.

“In the interest of avoiding further litigation, the parties have reached an amicable resolution to their dispute, Wal-Mart spokeswoman Daphne Moore said in an e-mailed statement to Bloomberg News. The terms are confidential, she said. It’s the third time in 13 years that Wal-Mart settled a suit by Adidas over shoe stripes.


A jury in the same court in May told Collective Brands Inc.’s Payless ShoeSource unit to pay $304.6 million to Adidas for copying the trademark. Two days later, Sears Holdings Corp.’s Kmart unit settled another case over the same design.


In the latest case, Adidas had sought Wal-Mart’s profit from the shoes, as well as punitive damages. The shoemaker claimed Wal-Mart made revenue of $58 million selling dozens of infringing models. Adidas spokeswoman Kirsten Keck confirmed the settlement.


 

 

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