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Nike's battle with Lululemon heats up with new lawsuit over sneakers

Feb 1, 2023, 01:22 IST
Business Insider
In a new lawsuit, Nike alleges Lululemon has infringed on its footwear patents, including with its Blissfeel sneaker.Lululemon
  • Nike on Monday filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Lululemon over footwear.
  • Lululemon launched its footwear line in 2022. It exceeded expectations.
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Nike is suing Lululemon, again. This time the sportswear giant is suing over the Canadian company's footwear, which Nike claims infringes on multiple patents.

The lawsuit is the latest sign of Nike's growing confidence in its ability to protect the intellectual property of its footwear and another salvo in the battle against Lululemon, whose diehard consumer base poses a direct threat to Nike.

The shoes in question are the Chargefeel Mid, Chargefeel Low, Blissfeel, and Strongfeel, which Nike broadly says violate three patents related to textiles, including knitted elements and webbed areas, and one specific to how the shoe's materials expand when being used during physical activity.

Nike is seeking unspecified damages in the case. The suit was filed in the Southern District Court of New York.

"Nike's claims are unjustified, and we look forward to proving our case in court," a Lululemon spokesperson said in a statement to Insider.

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Lululemon, long known for its workout apparel, made its first foray into footwear in March 2022. The footwear launch exceeded expectations and is expected to continue ramping up as Lululemon continues investing in footwear development, notably at a new Portland office just miles from Nike's global headquarters.

Nike also took legal action against Lululemon in January 2022, when the sportswear giant sued Lululemon over its Mirror home-fitness machine, alleging Lululemon infringed on Nike patents that allow users to compete with each other, track their performance, and pinpoint specific fitness goals.

Lululemon purchased Mirror for $500 million in 2020 when Americans were frequently exercising at home at the height of the pandemic.

Nike has sued a number of competitors over footwear designs in recent months, including Bape, Cool Kiy, and Warren Lotas.

A long-running lawsuit between Nike and Adidas over knitted-shoe technology settled last year.

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