A lawsuit by the family of legendary Ethiopian runner Abebe Bikila over Vibram’s use of the Bikila name on one of its FiveFingers models was dismissed.
According to the Associated Press, a U.S. District Court judge in Tacoma, WA dismissed the case because the family knew of the model in 2011 but filed its lawsuit in 2015. He noted that Vibram had been investing in and marketing the products for years.
The family was seeking $15 million in damages in claiming Vibram didn’t have permission to trademark or use the Bikila name. Bikila, who passed away in 1973, is most famous for winning a marathon gold medal in the 1960 Summer Olympics while running barefoot.
