Skechers said today that it is suing rival Steven Madden Ltd. for selling walking shoes and other products that allegedly infringe on the Manhattan Beach company’s patents.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Los Angeles, seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages against Madden, as well as injunctive relief.
A Madden spokesman could not immediately be reached for comment on the suit, which alleges that the company infringed on the patent of Skechers’ GOwalk line of casual athletic shoes.
“While we prefer to compete in the marketplace, Steven Madden is selling its infringing footwear to Skechers’ wholesale customers and in other sales channels where Skechers products are sold, and we believe this is causing us enormous damage,” said David Weinberg, Skechers’ chief operating officer.
“Considering our investment in Skechers GOWalk and other product lines, we will not allow anyone to infringe on some of our most valuable intellectual properties,” he said.
