Skechers Fires Back At Nike Lawsuit With Ad, Calls Company A 'Bully'

Skechers USA Inc SKX is no stranger to engaging in legal battles with its footwear competitors.

The latest spat has Nike Inc NKE suing the company, alleging Skechers is selling "Skecherized" versions of some of Nike's most popular silhouettes, including VaporMax and AirMax 270.

In a Monday advertisement in The New York Times, Skechers fired back and called Nike a "bully." 

Skechers ran a half-page ad in the newspaper in which it alleges Nike is contacting its retail partners and notifying them that they are selling shoes that infringe on Nike design patents, according to the Portland Business Journal. 

In the advertisement, Skechers said Nike’s allegations are unproven and said it plans to vigorously defend the lawsuit. 

"We stand one hundred percent behind all of our product offerings and would of course defend and indemnify your company if Nike indeed tries to bully you too," Skechers said. 

Nike declined to comment, the Portland Business Journal said. 

Two similar patent lawsuits filed against Skechers by Nike and its Converse subsidiary are ongoing, the publication said. 

Skechers announced on Thursday that it has successfully defended the lawsuit from Converse, as the judge found no violation of the Chuck Taylor trademark by any Skechers styles in the case. 

Skechers shares were trading flat at $37.14 at the time of publication Friday. 

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Photo by Rudiannag via Wikimedia.