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Hermés International S.A. reportedly settled the lawsuit that was filed by Skechers USA Inc. against it over patent rights. The footwear company sued the French luxury fashion house last year after claiming that the former’s Eclair and Envol premium sneakers infringed two of the design patents of its shoe soles.
Skechers said that the soles of the said Hermés shoes were very similar to its “Massage Fit” soles and “Go Walk” walking shoes. The company said the similarities are considerable, and it requested an unspecified amount of cash compensation for damages when it filed the lawsuit at the Manhattan federal court last year.
Reuters reported that this week, Hermès finally settled the case in New York. The French firm and Skechers were said to have signed an agreement, but the content of the deal remained confidential. The two companies were contacted for comments and additional details regarding the settlement, but they did not immediately respond to the requests.
It was said that Hermes did not respond in court when Skechers sued it in October 2022. Prior to this lawsuit, the sneaker manufacturer already filed similar cases against other major brands, such as Reebok, Steve Madden, and Fila. The complaints against them were the same and related to Skechers’ “Go Walk” sole design patents. These lawsuits were also settled later.
“Skechers invests tremendous resources into research and development to introduce fresh, unique, and exciting footwear technology to its customers year in and year out,” the spokesperson of Skechers said in a statement when they first filed the suit against Hermes last year. “It is disappointing that a company of Hermès’ reputation and standing has chosen to copy and infringe Skechers’ patented designs. While Skechers always prefers to compete in the marketplace rather than the courtroom, the Company has no choice but to seek legal recourse when competitors blatantly tread on our rights.”
Photo by: Olena Kamenetska/Unsplash
