Converse Is Furious That Everyone Is Copying Its Signature Shoe
Converse on FacebookChuck Taylor's helped boost Converse's sales 16% last quarter.
Converse is suing 31 companies for allegedly copying its signature Chuck Taylor sneaker, NBC News reports.
Retailers Converse is suing include Skechers, Wal-Mart, FILA, Ed Hardy, K-Mart, and Ralph Lauren, according to NBC.
The Nike-owned company has sent 180 cease-and-desist letters since 2008, according to the lawsuit.
The sneakers have seen a resurgence in popularity. Celebrities including Michelle Obama, Kristen Stewart, Reese Witherspoon, Drake, and Miley Cyrus have recently been spotted wearing them.
Copying is rampant in the shoe industry because fashion trademark lawsuits are notoriously difficult to win.
Skechers sells a shoe called BOBS which is eerily similar to TOMS shoes. Skechers even offers to donate a pair "to a child in need" with every purchase, a practice TOMS started.
University Of British Columbia TOMS and BOBS are eerily similar.
In 2011, shoemaker Christian Louboutin sued Yves Saint Laurent for selling shoes with the red soles the former is known for.
After nearly two years of litigation, the judge ruled that Yves Saint Laurent could only make shoes with red soles as long as the shoe itself was red too.
Two years ago, the Council of Fashion Designers of America tried to push a bill through Congress that would legislate against knock-offs. The bill was eventually abandoned.