1 December 2012Patents

Nike wins German injunction in Adidas patent row

Nike will seek a permanent injunction on Adidas’s ‘adiZero Primeknit’ running shoes in Germany after a court ruled that they incorporate technology that infringes the US company’s patents.

The district court in Nuremberg issued Adidas with an interim injunction that temporarily stops it from making or selling the shoes, which are similar to Nike’s ‘Flyknit’ products. On its website, Nike says its shoes use “yarns and fabric variations” that are “precisely engineered only where they are needed, for a featherweight, formfitting and virtually seamless upper”.

Nike introduced the range of shoes in February this year, while Adidas launched its brand one day before the London Olympics began in July.

In a statement, Nike said it was “pleased” with the district court’s decision and “looked forward” to presenting its case in court. Adidas said it was reviewing the court papers. As a general rule, it does not comment on pending litigation.

Adidas was founded in Germany in 1949. Nike was founded in the US in 1972.

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