Handsfree Labs (HFL), the parent company of the sneaker brand Kizik, has expanded its legal dispute to Europe with Skechers USA. There she has now filed a lawsuit for the uniform patent court in Munich for violation of trademarks.
In the lawsuit, which was submitted by Fast IP, LLC – the Holding Society for Mental Property of HFL – and viewed by the specialist magazine Women’s Wear Daily, a value of one million euros is mentioned. The number serves as a preliminary estimate for submitting the lawsuit, the media company noted.
HFL has included the German, Swiss, Belgian, Italian and French branches of Skechers into the lawsuit that resembles the lawsuit that has already been running in the United States. HFL is again targeting the hands of the Free Slip-Ins line from Skechers, the products of which, in their opinion, violate a number of their use and flavor patterns.
HFL accuses Skechers of imitation of his slip-on shoes
Similar to her US lawsuit, HFL has called for Skechers to be banned the sale of his free-handed shoes in eighteen European countries, and tried to recall products that have been on the market since July. HFL also calls for an injunction of 200,000 euros and further compensation.
HFL had originally started her legal dispute with Skechers in July. According to her complaint with a court in Texas, the company believes that Skechers “knowingly and deliberately” violated her patents that protect “petite innovations”. Gareth Hosford, CEO of HFL, said that the company was “forced” to defend its free -handed technology “against a company that has chosen imitation instead of innovation”.
Skechers later reacted publicly to the lawsuit and called HFL’s claims “baseless”. She explained that she intended to “contain both the validity of the patents and the injury claims”. In her explanation, the Schuhriese said that he had “received more than 140 usage and taste patterns worldwide, including in the USA”. He also expressed his suspicion of the time of the lawsuit, which took place shortly after the announcement that the 3G Capital brand should be taken over in a fusion worth $ 9.42 billion ($ 8.68 billion).
With regard to this latest lawsuit, a spokesman for Skechers told WWD that the company had “no further comment”.
This article was used with digital tools translated.
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