Skechers sues Steve Madden over sneaker logo trademarks (updated)

Steven Madden

21/06/2023 18:44

(Adds comment from Steve Madden in paragraph 3)
    By Blake Brittain
       June 21 (Reuters) - Shoe maker Skechers  SKX.N  sued
fashion company Steve Madden  SHOO.O  in Los Angeles federal
court on Tuesday, claiming its "Kennie" line of sneakers violate
Skechers' trademark rights in its "S" logos.
    The Steve Madden sneakers feature an "S" design that is
likely to mislead consumers into thinking Skechers made or
endorsed them, the lawsuit said.
    Steve Madden Ltd said in a statement that its shoe was "in
no way inspired by Skechers" and that its "swirl" design does
not resemble the Skechers logo. The company said that it has
used variations of the design since the 1990s and plans to
"vigorously defend" against the lawsuit.
    A Skechers spokesperson declined to comment on the lawsuit
on Wednesday, citing pending litigation.
    Skechers' lawsuit called the design on Steve Madden's shoe
"essentially a stylized 'S' of similar (if not nearly identical)
proportions" to the 'S' logos on Skechers' shoes, placed in the
same location.
    Manhattan Beach, California-based Skechers asked the court
to order Steve Madden to stop the alleged misuse of its
trademarks and requested an unspecified amount of money damages.
    Skechers has been involved in intellectual property disputes
with several other shoe makers including Nike, Adidas and Easy
Spirit. It sued Berkshire Hathaway-owned Brooks Sports for
trademark infringement and Hermes for design-patent infringement
last year in lawsuits that were later settled.
    Skechers also sued Long Island City, New York-based Steve
Madden in 2015 for allegedly infringing several design patents
covering aspects of its sneakers. The companies settled that
dispute in 2016.
    
    The case is Skechers U.S.A. Inc v. Steven Madden Ltd, U.S.
District Court for the Central District of California, No.
2:23-cv-04869.
    For Skechers: Daniel Petrocelli and Jeffrey Barker of
O'Melveny & Myers
    For Steve Madden: attorney information not available
    
    Read more:
    Skechers sues Brooks Running for trademark infringement over
'5' logo
    Skechers settles trademark fight with Brooks Running over
'5' logo
    Skechers sues Hermès for patent infringement over shoe soles
    Hermes settles Skechers patent lawsuit over shoe soles in NY
    

 (Reporting by Blake Brittain in Washington)