Rothy’s, Inc. is reporting that it has received a judgment from the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware that bans rival shoe maker MIA Shoes, Inc. and three retailers, notably DSW, Stitch Fix and Famous Footwear, from “making, selling, advertising or importing” knit flats found to infringe on Rothy’s patents.
Rothy’s initially filed the patent and trade dress infringement lawsuit in 2024, claiming it owns patent rights for its pointed-toe and round-toe footwear designs and accusing MIA of making “nearly identical” shoes and QVC, DSW, Stitch Fix, and Caleres Inc., the parent of Famous Footwear, of selling them.
In a statement, Rothy’s said the Consent Judgment, entered on August 21, 2026 concluded that Rothy’s design patents “are valid, that Rothy’s asserted trade dresses are valid, and that the accused MIA products infringe them.” The alleged infringing products include the MIA Kerri, MIA Lissy, MIA Aubrie, and MIA Emme Ballet Flat shoes.
“Rothy’s distinctive designs reflect years of creativity, innovation and investment by our design and production teams. We protect that work through a robust intellectual property portfolio that includes more than 700 design patents granted or pending, as well as valuable trade dress rights,” said Marie Satterfield, chief legal officer, Rothy’s. “This court order underscores the strength of our intellectual property portfolio and sends a clear message that original design must be respected. We will continue to vigorously protect and enforce Rothy’s intellectual property rights.”
The parties have reached an amicable resolution of the dispute. The terms of that resolution are confidential.
Rothy’s said the judgment follows Rothy’s prior successful intellectual property enforcement actions, including against Birdies, Inc. in the Northern District of California (2022), Giesswein in the United Kingdom (2021), and OESH Shoes in Virginia (2019).
Image courtesy Rothy’s
