Skechers' designs are not originals, Nike claims

Trainer giant files lawsuit saying smaller rival has stolen some of its patented technology

Nike shoes on display at a Nordstrom store in New York. The sportswear giant has accused rival Skechers of copying some of its designs. Reuters.

Sportswear giant Nike has increased the pressure on rival Skechers USA, filing another lawsuit accusing its rival of building its business by copying patented shoe features. In the latest patent-infringement lawsuit, filed on Monday in a federal court in Los Angeles, Nike claims Skechers’ Skech-Air Jumpin’ Dots and Mega shoes are using the air and footwear cushioning inventions that it developed.

“Instead of innovating its own designs and technologies, Skechers’ business strategy includes copying its competitors’ designs and using innovative technologies developed by others to gain market share,” Nike said in the complaint.

This is the fourth lawsuit Nike has filed against Skechers, including one that accused Skechers of copying the iconic Chuck Taylor shoes that has been simmering for five years.

Separately, a US International Trade Commission judge earlier this month found that Skechers was not infringing Nike trademarks; the case now heads to the full commission for a final decision. A 2017 lawsuit Nike filed over patented designs for its Flyknit is pending in Oregon.

In a lawsuit filed on September 30, Nike claimed that Skechers was copying patented features of its VaporMax and Air Max 270 designs. Skechers responded by posting a full-page ad in the New York Times and Twitter that called Nike a "bully" and said the company was using "its vast resources to stifle competition in the courtroom rather than compete in the marketplace".