The American companies Skechers USA Inc. and LL Bean have settled a patent lawsuit. According to a court order from Judge Margaret Garnett of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New Yorkissued on December 26, 2024, LL Bean agrees to cease and desist from manufacturing, importing and selling a shoe line that allegedly infringes two shoe designs of which Skechers legally has exclusive rights to sell. The patents, specific to Skechers’ unique arch-supporting heel counter designs, are valid until 2038.
The patent case began in July 2024, when Skechers filed a complaint with a US judge against LL Bean’s ‘Freeport’ shoe line. According to Skechers, LL Bean has imitated two of Skechers’ patented heel counter designs with these shoes. LL Bean has sold millions of pairs of these shoes for $99 per pair (96.25 euros).
Skechers demanded that LL Bean stop selling the shoes, which has since been achieved. Other terms of the settlement, such as unspecified damages, were not disclosed.
LL Bean is a privately held retail company that sells outdoor clothing and accessories. Founded in 1912 by Leon Leonwood Bean, it has 54 stores worldwide, with headquarters in Freeport, Maine, where the company was originally founded. Founded in 1992, Skechers is headquartered in Manhattan Beach, California, and is one of the largest footwear companies in the world, with more than 1,700 stores worldwide. Skechers has a reported quarterly turnover of 2.35 billion dollars (2.17 billion euros) in Q3 2024.
The case is registered as Skechers USA Inc et al v. LL Bean Inc in the District Court of the Southern District of New York under case number 24-05336.
Source: fashionunited.nl
