Crocs, Inc.'s wholly owned subsidiary, Jibbitz, LLC, prevailed in its Federal copyright and trademark infringement case against defendant Joinworld Industrial & Trading Limited and its principals, the company reported in a release. The Court awarded damages in the amount of $1.8 million in addition to attorneys fees and other costs.
The United States District Court, District of Nevada found, among other things, that Jibbitz has developed creative and original designs for its shoe charms, Jibbitz owns all right, title and interest in its shoe charm designs, including all copyright rights therein, and the served defendants have a history of infringing on Jibbitz copyrighted works, including offering more than 60 infringing copies of certain copyrighted works for sale. Jibbitz initially filed suit on this matter on January 29, 2007.
Ron Snyder, president and CEO of Crocs, Inc., commented, “We are gratified by the Court's decision and particularly pleased with its clear findings regarding the strength of Jibbitz' copyrights. We are deeply committed to protecting our intellectual property and trademarks, and we will continue to take any necessary actions to defend our position in the marketplace.”
