The ongoing rivalry and feud between the world’s two leading sportswear brands has taken another step as for the first time ever, Adidas has filed a lawsuit against Nike claiming patent infringement.
A patent is an exclusive right that is granted for an invention, more specifically a product or a process that generally provides a new way of doing something or offers a new technical solution to a problem.
The lawsuit that was filed on Friday in an Eastern Texas federal court, specifies that Adidas believes Nike is infringing on nine of its patents. This includes those related to the Adidas_1 trainers and its app, CONFIRMED.
Adidas claims that Nike’s Adapt technology infringes on the Adidas_1 as it was the first shoe that ever sensed and adjusted the comfort of the shoe while the shoe was worn.
Nike‘s Adapt technology was the brands dive into “smart” footwear. Adapt is an electronically-enabled platform that automatically customises the fit of a trainer to the wearers foot. Nike first explored “auto-lacing” in 2016 and it made its retail debut in 2019.
The Adidas_1 was released back in 2005 and Adidas is targeting Nike’s Adapt technology as an infringement on their own Adidas_1.
Another section of the lawsuit involves both brands’ respective product reservation apps – Adidas CONFIRMED and Nike SNKRS.
Adidas CONFIRMED was released in early February 2015, branded as a tool to make purchasing exclusive products easier for everyone. Only days later, Nike followed with an announcement of their similar SNKRS app which was globally launched in 2015.
Adidas believes that Nike’s app infringes on its patent of their own app. Additional Nike apps, such as Training Club and Run Club have also been named as examples of infringements.
Adidas stated in their lawsuit that they’ve been a leader in mobile technology and technology related to mobile fitness and purchases. Adidas claim they were the first in the industry to bring data analytics to athletes.
Adidas is seeking an outcome in the form of an unspecified amount of damages to compensate them for Nike‘s infringement, plus a permanent injunction against Nike that would prevent the brand from further infringing on its patents.
The case has been called: Adidas AG v. Nike Inc, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, No. 2:220cv-00198.
This is the very first time Adidas has gone after Nike in a federal court, and despite the outcome, I think it’s still safe to say we shouldn’t expect any first time collaborations between the two anytime soon.
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