Sneakers specialist Skechers (NYSE:SKX) said Adidas has obtained a preliminary injunction stopping it from selling two already discontinued styles and from using the term “Supernova” on a third discontinued style.
The second largest footwear brand in the United States, said “the court’s ruling is preliminary, not final.”
Michael Greenberg, president of Skechers, added: “Further, it involves only three minor and commercially insignificant Skechers styles that have already been discontinued, and does not create any disruption in our business or have any impact on sales whatsoever.”
“While this is a non-issue from a commercial standpoint, we are disappointed in the ruling and fully intend to appeal it in order to ensure that our footwear designers retain the freedom to use common design elements that have long been in the public domain.”
In September 2015, German sportswear giant Adidas sued Skechers alleging that two styles and use of the word Supernova infringed Adidas’s intellectual property rights.
Adidas sought a preliminary injunction prohibiting Skechers from selling the shoes pending the final outcome of trial, and this has now been granted.