In a significant legal win, Skechers, the renowned U.S. footwear brand, has obtained a European Union-wide preliminary injunction against Dockers by Gerli. This action comes in response to Dockers marketing a shoe style that infringes on Skechers’ Hands Free Slip-ins.
The pivotal ruling was delivered on October 5 by the Dusseldorf Regional Court in Germany, which found that Dockers’ shoe design violated one of the key heel pillow designs of Skechers’ Hands Free Slip-ins. Consequently, the court issued a preliminary injunction that effectively bars Dockers from further sales of this shoe style in the European Union.
Michael Greenberg, President of Skechers, stressed the significance of safeguarding intellectual property rights, stating, «This lawsuit is one of many global enforcement actions undertaken by Skechers to protect our intellectual property rights related to Skechers Hands Free Slip-ins designs and technologies.» He emphasized that while Skechers prefers marketplace competition over legal battles, they are compelled to take legal action when competitors infringe on their intellectual property rights. Skechers remains committed to vigorously defending its proprietary rights associated with Skechers Hands Free Slip-ins.
As of now, Dockers by Gerli has not disclosed whether they intend to appeal the court’s ruling.
This legal triumph is part of a series of legal actions undertaken by Skechers in recent years against companies accused of infringing on their designs. In August, Skechers filed a lawsuit against Laforst Shoes Inc., alleging the replication of their slip-in shoe designs. Furthermore, in December 2021, Skechers reached a settlement in a dispute with Easy Spirit over «direct copies» of two iconic Skechers silhouettes – the Skechers’ Go Walk walking slip-on shoe and the Skechers D’Lite sneaker.