The shoe retailer Skechers USA Inc. has sued the French luxury fashion house Hermès International and its US subsidiary Hermès of Paris Inc. in a New York court. The reason for this is the sculptural sole design of the Éclair and Envol shoe models that Hermès launched this year. This imitates the characteristic design language of Skechers’ “Massage Fit” technology and infringes several of the company’s patents, the shoe manufacturer said in a statement published on Tuesday.
In an official brief to the Manhattan-based United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, Skechers requested a trial. The aim is to ban Hermès from the alleged patent infringements and to obtain damages, the company said.
The footwear retailer explained the background to the lawsuit in a statement: “Skechers invests enormous resources in research and development to offer its customers new, unique and exciting footwear technologies year after year. It is disappointing that a company with the reputation and importance of Hermès chose to copy and infringe Skechers’ patented designs. “While Skechers always prefers to compete in the marketplace rather than the courts, the company has no choice but to take legal action when competitors openly trample on our rights.”
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