In Skechers‘ latest effort to protect its Slip-Ins sneaker design, the comfort footwear brand has secured a win against another shoe company it says infringed on this product.
The comfort footwear brand on Wednesday announced that it has obtained a European Union-wide preliminary injunction against Dockers by Gerli, which Skechers said sells a copycat shoe style similar to its Slip-Ins.
Skechers filed the design infringement lawsuit against Dockers in the Dusseldorf Regional Court in Dusseldorf, Germany. The court found in an Oct. 5 opinion that Dockers’ shoes were infringing on Skechers’ heel pillow designs in its Slip-Ins shoes, and ruled that Dockers must stop the sale of this product in the European Union via a preliminary injunction.
According to Skechers president Michael Greenberg, Skechers is pleased with the preliminary injunction throughout the European Union, despite the fact that this ruling can be appealed.
“This lawsuit is one of the many enforcement measures that Skechers is taking against third parties worldwide to protect its intellectual property rights in Skechers Hands Free Slip-Ins designs and technologies,” 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 will continue to aggressively police and enforce its proprietary rights in Skechers Hands Free Slip-Ins.”
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FN has reached out to Dockers by Gerli for a comment.
Skechers’ Slip-Ins shoes have recently resonated and driven widespread demand. The hands-free innovation has even resonated with President Joe Biden, who was spotted wearing a pair while boarding Air Force One. The brand’s recently launched collaboration with Snoop Dogg also includes these hands-free products. Martha Stewart, who signed on as a Skechers ambassador for the California-based footwear company in March 2022, announced in March of this year that she has co-designed her own versions of some of Skechers’ most popular styles, including its Slip-Ins.
As such, Skechers has previously filed several lawsuit against companies it has accused of infringing on these designs. In August, Skechers filed a lawsuit accusing Laforst Shoes Inc. of copying its slip-in shoe designs. In December 2021, Skechers settled a dispute with Easy Spirit over “direct copies” of two Skechers silhouettes – the Skechers’ “Go Walk” walking slip-on shoe and the “Skechers D’Lite” sneaker.