Nike Sues Wal-Mart, Claiming Cushioned Shoe Design is Copied
Nike claims in a lawsuit filed in federal court in Chicago that Wal-Mart is selling shoes that infringe on its patented design.
The suit claims Wal-Mart’s Detra shoes infringe on two patents related to its Shox brand cushioning system, the Wall Street Journal reports (sub. req.).
It’s not the first shoe dispute between Nike and Wal-Mart, and it’s not the only infringement suit by a shoe manufacturer, the Oregonian reports.
The newspaper says companies such as Nike, Adidas and Oakley have all accused one another of infringing on protected designs. In Nike’s former suit against Wal-Mart, the company won $1.6 million for a shoe that resembled a Nike hiking shoe.
In what was believed to be the largest award in a trademark infringement case, a Portland, Ore., jury ordered Payless Shoesource to pay Adidas nearly $305 million for infringing the company’s trademarked three-stripe design.
