Nike has filed federal lawsuits in the US against New Balance and Skechers, accusing both companies of misusing the patented Flyknit technology – a patented technology allowing it to make high-performance uppers with reduced materials and waste – for their running, soccer and basketball shoes.
The lawsuit against New Balance was filed with the US District Court for the District of Massachusetts and accuses New Balance of infringing Nike’s patent rights with Fresh Foam, FuelCell and other footwear models. The lawsuit against Skechers was filed in the US District Court, Central District of California and alleges that Skechers’ Ultra Flex and Glide Step, among other models, infringe its patents.
This is not the first lawsuit Nike has filed over the Flyknit patents. Corresponding cases against Adidas and Puma have since been settled, while a lawsuit against Lululemon is still ongoing.
Nike has applied to the courts for unspecified damages and is asking the courts to permanently prevent New Balance and Skechers from infringing its patents.
According to the New York Post, New Balance said in a statement that it “fully respects competitors’ intellectual property rights, but Nike does not own the exclusive right to design and produce footwear by traditional manufacturing methods that have been used in the industry for decades.”
