Nike to Take PUMA to Court for Copying Flyknit, Air & More
Alleging the company was “forgoing independent innovation.”
With sneaker culture and sales reaching an all-time high, established footwear giants are always looking for ways to one-up one another, but it seems that one particular sportswear brand has taken things too far. Nike recently sued PUMA North America for “forgoing independent innovation” and using patent Nike technology without permission in a competitive manner.
More specifically Nike is pointing to its Flyknit technology, which heavily resembles PUMA’s new EVOknit. Currently holding 300 utility patents related to the groundbreaking Flyknit textile, Swoosh is alleging the German sportswear brand’s iteration of the movement fabric infringes on four of its held patents. Additionally, Swoosh is noting PUMA has plagiarised its signature Air unit and cleat assembly technologies with it latest Jamming EVOknit silhouette. One of PUMA’s latest footwear models, the Jamming EVOknit undeniably is an amalgamation of the lauded elements prevalent in sneaker culture in recent memory.
Stay tuned for more details as the story develops.
In case you missed it, Nike CEO Mark Parker apologized for the toxic corporate culture that recently surfaced.
