Skechers USA has announced that a lawsuit has been filed against Reebok International Ltd. for selling shoes that infringe on the Manhattan Beach, CA-based brand’s Go Walk line. The suit, filed in the United States District Court for the Central District of California, seeks compensatory and punitive damages as well as injunctive relief for infringing on Skechers’ patent and trade dress rights and for unfair competition. The suit states that Reebok is selling the infringing products under the name Reebok Walk Ahead RS.
“Skechers has invested tremendous resources into designing, developing, advertising and patenting our Skechers Go Walk product line and has built Skechers Go Walk into a name and look globally recognized and synonymous with Skechers,” states COO David Weinberg. “While we prefer to compete in the marketplace, Reebok is selling its infringing footwear to Skechers wholesale customers and in other sales channels where Skechers Go Walk is sold, and we believe this is causing us enormous damage. Considering our investment in Skechers Go Walk, we cannot allow a company the size of Reebok, or any other company for that matter, to infringe on one of our most valuable intellectual properties.” He adds that Skechers plans on taking similar action against any company that develops any products that infringe on the patents and trade dress of Skechers Go Walk as well as its proprietary product lines, and any retailer that sells Reebok Walk Ahead RS.
