Source:
Nike
/
NIke
Once
again
Nike
is
back
in
court
on
the
offensive
as
they’ve
decided
to
bring
yet
another
lawsuit
against
a
few
competitors
who
they
feel
are
infringing
on
their
creations.
According
to
Complex,
Nike
has
filed
a
few
patent
infringement
lawsuits
against
both
Skechers
and
New
Balance
for
biting
their
beloved
Flyknit
technology
and
using
it
on
their
own
footwear
silhouettes.
Suing
both
companies
for
“unauthorized
use
of
it’s
patented
technology,”
Nike
is
looking
to
shut
down
both
brands
from
continuing
to
produce
and
sell
it’s
increasingly
popular
footwear
lines.
Citing
dozens
of
Skechers
models
and
21
New
Balance
sneakers
in
their
lawsuit
which
they
allege
ripped
off
their
Flyknit
tech,
Nike
wants
the
courts
to
step
in
and
not
only
award
them
damages,
but
also
stop
both
companies
from
continuing
to
bank
off
what
they
say
was
their
original
creation.
Complex
reports:
Nike
holds
a
number
of
different
patents
for
its
Flyknit
material,
the
first
of
which
was
granted
in
September
2012.
Nike
has
sued
Skechers
over
alleged
Flyknit
infringement
before,
but
this
is
the
first
time
the
brand
has
taken
aim
at
New
Balance.
In
January,
Nike
contacted
New
Balance
in
an
attempt
to
flag
the
issue
before
going
through
with
the
lawsuit,
but
claims
New
Balance
has
instead
“only
escalated
the
scope
of
its
infringing
activities.”
Nike
isn’t
playing
when
it
comes
to
their
chips.
Whether
you’re
an
independent
sneaker
creator
or
a
big
conglomerate
of
a
company,
if
they
feel
your
hand
in
their
pocket,
they’ll
try
to
cut
it
off.
Heck,
it
might
get
to
the
point
where
Nike
starts
suing
customers
for
not
rocking
their
footwear
with
the
proper
attire
and
making
them
look
bad.
Following
the
lawsuit,
New
Balance
decided
to
acknowledge
the
situation
and
released
a
statement
on
the
matter.
“New
Balance
fully
respects
competitors’
intellectual
property
rights,
but
Nike
does
not
own
the
exclusive
right
to
design
and
produce
footwear
by
traditional
manufacturing
methods
that
have
been
used
in
the
industry
for
decades.
We
will
vigorously
defend
ourselves
against
Nike’s
attempts
to
enforce
its
patents
beyond
their
lawful
scope.”
When
reached
for
comment,
Skechers
declined
to
comment
on
the
pending
litigation.
Skechers
doesn’t
want
that
Nike
smoke
and
might
fold
quick-fast.
New
Balance
meanwhile
seems
ready
to
fight
to
the
end
to
maintain
it’s
growing
popularity.
What
do
y’all
think
of
Nike
slapping
New
Balance
and
Skechers
with
this
lawsuit?
Are
they
justified
or
just
plain
old
greedy
at
this
point?
Let
us
know
in
the
comments
section
below.
