Dive Brief:
- Skechers was granted a preliminary injunction against Dockers by Gerli for allegedly selling a shoe that infringed on Skechers’ slip-in design, Skechers announced Wednesday.
- The injunction, granted by a regional court in Germany last week, prohibits Dockers from selling the infringing shoe in the European Union.
- The ruling marks the latest in a series of legal actions Skechers has taken to defend its slip-in design.
Dive Insight:
In August, Skechers sued nonslip shoemaker Laforst Shoes over the alleged infringement of the slip-in heel design. These shoe styles were the subject of high-profile Super Bowl ads earlier this year featuring Martha Stewart and Snoop Dogg, and Skechers says it’s sold millions of pairs of the hands-free shoe.
On October 5, the Düsseldorf Regional Court in Germany found that Dockers had infringed on one of Skechers’ heel pillow designs, per the Skechers release.
In a news release on the ruling, Skechers President Michael Greenberg said the company would “continue to aggressively police and enforce” its proprietary rights for the sneaker design.
“While the ruling can be appealed, we are very pleased that the German court in the first instance acknowledged Skechers’ rights and immediately stopped the sale of the offending shoe style throughout the European Union,” Greenberg said. “Skechers invests tremendous resources into product development to introduce fresh, unique and exciting footwear to its customers year in and year out. While Skechers always prefers to compete in the marketplace rather than the courtroom, the Company has no choice but to seek legal recourse when competitors infringe on our intellectual property rights.”
Skechers’ legal complaint against Laforst is ongoing, though court documents show the parties have engaged in settlement discussions. As of Sept. 26, a judge in the United States District Court Central District of California gave Skechers 30 days to finalize its settlement with Laforst.
In April, Skechers settled a patent dispute with French luxury brand Hermès over its Massage Fit sole.
