The Chief Judge of the International Trade Commission (ITC) validated Converse's intellectual property rights in the iconic Chuck Taylor All Star and supported its right to enforcement, according to a statement from Converse. Converse wrote, “The original Chuck Taylor All Star and its unmistakable look have been a hallmark of the Converse brand for decades.”
As previously reported, Converse filed lawsuits in October 2014 against 31 companies in Federal District Court in New York accusing them of trademark infringement on its Chuck Taylor shoe. The brand, owned by Nike Inc., sued for monetary damages and to prevent the continued sale of the alleged infringing product. Converse simultaneously pursued a complaint with the International Trade Commission to bar look-alike counterfeits from entering the country.
Converse claimed the companies are infringing on trademarks that cover the look of the shoe, including the distinctive toecap, toe bumper and side strip as well as the diamond pattern on the bottom of the sole. Converse was established in 1908.
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