Adidas Primeknit injunction overturned by German court
25/10/2012
Both companies launched knitted shoes this year – Nike’s Flyknit in January and the Primeknit before the summer Olympics, but both claim they have been in the design process for three years.
Nike contended that the adidas version was a copy, and so was granted an injunction against it selling them in Germany, the only market they have been made available in.
However, the court in Nuremberg, Germany, said that after hearing the adidas case, it intended to set the injunction aside on November 7.
Adidas argued the technology involved in making the shoe's upper from fused yarn has been around since the 1940s. "Adidas vigorously denies the alleged patent infringement," it said in a statement.
Nike, which was seeking a permanent injunction, said this was just one step in a longer process. "We will continue to aggressively protect our intellectual property rights, including through the conclusion of this interim injunction proceeding as well as in a formal infringement case," a spokeswoman said.
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