Skechers USA Inc. has received a cease-and-desist order from the European Union after successfully suing shoe brand Dockers by Gerli, Skechers announced in a news release. Dockers is said to have sold a shoe that copied the design of the Skechers ‘Hands Free Slip-Ins’ model.
Skechers filed a lawsuit against Dockers in the Düsseldorf Regional Court. On October 5, the German court ruled that the Dockers shoes actually infringed one of the heel pad designs of Sketchers’ ‘Hands Free Slip-Ins’. It then issued an “interim injunction,” meaning Dockers can no longer sell the shoes in the European Union.
“This lawsuit is one of many enforcement actions Skechers is taking against third parties worldwide to protect its intellectual property rights in the Skechers Hands Free Slip-ins designs and technologies,” said Michael Greenberg, president of Skechers. “Although the ruling can be appealed, we are very pleased that sales of the shoes across the European Union have been stopped immediately.”
“Skechers invests heavily in product development to bring our customers new, unique and exciting shoes year after year. While Skechers always prefers to compete in the marketplace rather than in court, the company has no choice but to take legal action when competitors infringe our intellectual property rights. Skechers will continue to aggressively monitor and enforce its ownership rights in the Skechers Hands Free Slip-ins.”
This translated article previously appeared on FashionUnited.nl