Skechers has filed a trademark lawsuit with the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California against New York-based fashion company Steve Madden Ltd., claiming that its “Kennie” line of sneakers violates Skechers’ trademark rights in its “S” logos. According to Skechers, the “S” design in the Steve Madden sneakers is “confusingly similar” and will likely mislead consumers. Skechers also contends that the Madden logo is “placed in the same location where Skechers typically places its marks” – on the shoe’s side. Furthermore, Skechers asserts that Madden is using the allegedly infringing logo on “similar products marketed to the same consumers in the same channels,” making it even more confusing for consumers, according to Skechers.
Steve Madden plans to “vigorously defend” against Skechers’ lawsuit, arguing that its shoe is “in no way inspired by Skechers” and its “swirl” design does not resemble the Skechers logo, Reuters reported. The case is Skechers USA, Inc., et al. v. Steven Madden Ltd., et al., 2:23-cv-04869 (C.D. Cal.).
