Adidas has filed a lawsuit against Nike Inc. in a court in Texas, USA, alleging that the company “knowingly and intentionally” infringed on nine patents relating to Adidas’ proprietary sports technology.
Adidas claims to have launched the first “smart” shoe in 2004; two decades after the company introduced the world’s first shoe with an integrated computer: the Adidas Micropacer, which was launched in 1984 for the Los Angeles Olympic Games.
In its filing, Adidas said it launched the first “fully integrated training system connecting sensors in shoes to wearable devices” in 2005 and personal training apps called miCoach for mobile phones in 2008.
Adidas alleges that Nike violated its technologies such as training tracking and its “smart shoe” system with its Run Club apps, Nike Training Club apps and Nike SNKRS app. According to Adidas, it was the first sportswear company to provide athletes with comprehensive data analysis.
In what appeared to be a court battle between sports giants, Nike filed a lawsuit in December, accusing Adidas of infringing on Nike’s Flyknit patents by releasing its Primeknit sneakers.
This translated article originally appeared on FashionUnited.uk.
