Aidadas v Skechers

Justia Opinion Summary

Skechers challenged the district court’s issuance of a preliminary injunction prohibiting it from selling shoes that allegedly infringe and dilute adidas America, Inc.’s Stan Smith trade dress and Three-Stripe trademark. The panel affirmed in part, holding that the district court did not abuse its discretion in issuing the preliminary injunction as to adidas’s claim that Skechers’s Onix shoe infringes on adidas’s unregistered trade dress of its Stan Smith shoe. However, the panel reversed in part, holding that the district court erred in issuing a preliminary injunction as to adidas’s claim that Skechers’s Cross Court shoe infringes and dilutes its Three-Stripe mark.

Court Description: Lanham Act / Preliminary Injunction. The panel affirmed in part and reversed in part the district court’s preliminary injunction prohibiting Skechers USA, Inc., from selling shoes that allegedly infringe and dilute adidas America, Inc.’s Stan Smith trade dress and Three-Stripe mark. Affirming in part, the panel held that the district court did not abuse its discretion in issuing the preliminary injunction as to adidas’s claim the Skechers’s Onix shoe infringed on adidas’s unregistered trade dress of its Stan Smith shoe. The panel concluded that adidas was likely to succeed on the merits of this claim because the trade dress was nonfunctional, the trade dress had acquired secondary meaning, and there was a substantial likelihood of confusion between the parties’ products. In addition, the district court did not clearly err in finding a likelihood of irreparable harm to the Stan Smith. Reversing in part, the panel held that the district court erred in issuing a preliminary injunction as to adidas’s claim that Skechers’s Cross Court shoe infringed and diluted its Three-Stripe mark. The panel held that the district court did not err in finding that adidas showed a likelihood of success on its trademark infringement and trademark dilution claims. Nonetheless, the district court abused its discretion in issuing
Text of adidas v Skechers: adidas v skechers stan smith 9th cir