Skechers is suing Steve Madden for allegedly copying one of its identifying design marks.
In a lawsuit filed in a California District court on Tuesday, Skechers alleged that Steve Madden’s “Kennie” sneaker currently utilizes a mark shaped like an “S” that is “confusingly similar” to the mark Skechers uses on its own shoes. Skechers claimed that Steve Madden’s allegedly infringing mark uses similar proportions, thickness and placement as the marks used by Skechers.
Skechers owns more than 40 federally registered trademarks pertaining to the “S” mark, according to the suit.
“The public, including the media, immediately recognizes and associates the individual ‘S’ Marks, as well as the family marks of which they are part, with Skechers,” the suit claimed. Skechers also noted that since Steven Madden and Skechers sell these products to the same consumer base, it is likely that consumers will confuse the two brands.
Skechers declined to comment. Steve Madden’s general counsel said in a statement that the lawsuit has no merit.
“The Kennie shoe was in no way inspired by Skechers, and the appearance of the stylized design on the shoe bears little resemblance to the Skechers’ ‘S’ logo,” the spokesperson said. “Steve Madden has used variations of this swirl design since the 1990s. We believe the lawsuit to be without merit and plan to defend our company against these spurious claims.”
This is not the first time Skechers has taken issue with another brand’s designs that bear resemblance to its shoes. In September, Skechers and Brooks settled a trademark infringement lawsuit over Brooks’ use of the number “5″ mark on its shoes that was “confusingly similar” to Skechers’ “S” mark it generally uses on its sneakers.
In April, Skechers reached a settlement with Hermès after it accused the French fashion company of infringing on two patents regarding the L.A.-based footwear brand’s proprietary Massage Fit sole technology.
And in December 2021, Skechers settled a dispute with Easy Spirit over what was described as “direct copies” of two Skechers silhouettes – the Skechers’ “Go Walk” walking slip-on shoe and the “Skechers D’Lite” sneaker.
