Vibram sues Fila to protect FiveFingers patent
Monday, July 25th, 2011
The Battle of the Toe Shoes - who will reign supreme?
Vibram has filed a lawsuit against Fila early last week. The lawsuit accuses Fila’s Skele-toes footwear of infringing upon US patents that cover Vibram’s FiveFingers shoes.
“Vibram pioneered the minimalist footwear category,” Vibram USA president, Tony Post, in a statement included in a company press release.
Post also said, “Vibram innovated the technology and earned the patents. With our success, copyists and counterfeiters have come out of the woodwork.”
Fila USA noted that its Skele-toes line launched earlier this year after they had determined that Vibram’s patents were not infringed upon. The company intends to defend itself against these claims.