We’re only a few days removed from Nike filing a lawsuit against Bape and now, the Oregon sportswear company is taking legal action against Lululemon over patent infringement.
The brand filed a lawsuit yesterday in the southern district of New York alleging that several of Lululemon’s lifestyle sneakers infringe on its Flyknit technology. Nike highlights its Flyknit-related patents in the suit, alleging that Lululemon’s infringing products include “at least” the Chargefeel Mid, Chargefeel Low, Blissfeel, and Strongfeel sneakers (pictured above).
In the lawsuit, Nike accuses Lululemon’s textile knitting processes of infringing on its acclaimed Flyknit tech, including how the knit’s webbed and tubular sections function and stretch on the aforementioned sneakers, and how flat-knitting is used to structure the seams of the uppers.
This isn’t the first time that Nike has filed a patent infringement case to protect its Flyknit innovation. In 2012, the Swoosh filed a patent infringement suit against Adidas, claiming that the Three Stripes’ Primeknit borrowed elements of the the knit tech. Nike also took legal action against Skechers in 2016, claiming that the brand violated its Flyknit patents.
Around the same time last year, Nike took legal action against Lululemon for infringing on its patent linked to its Mirror home gym system and related mobile apps.
Nike is asking for an unspecified amount in damages and a permanent injunction to ward off further infringement by Lululemon.
