Dive Brief:
- Skechers has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against L.L. Bean, according to Monday court documents.
- Attorneys for Skechers claim L.L. Bean's Freeport shoe infringes on the "heel cup" design element of Skechers shoes mentioned in the complaint.
- Skechers is seeking a jury trial against L.L. Bean, as well as obtaining financial compensation.
Dive Insight:
In addition to L.L. Bean, the complaint also sues unnamed people who “imported, advertised, offered for sale, sold, distributed or otherwise commercially used the accused products.”
The complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, and an attorney has not been listed for L.L. Bean.
Skechers has a history of suing other companies for patent infringement. Last year, it accused nonslip shoemaker LaForst of infringing on patents for its “hands free” slip-in shoe styles. It settled that case months later. Skechers additionally settled similar cases against Hermès, Brooks, Fila, Reebok and Steve Madden.
An L.L. Bean spokesperson didn’t immediately respond to Fashion Dive’s request for comment. A Skechers spokesperson declined to comment.
In its April earnings release, Skechers reported record Q1 sales of $2.25 billion, a 12.5% year-over-year increase. Skechers is set to release Q2 earnings next week.
