9 of the Biggest Footwear Legal Dramas in 2025

There was nary shortage of ineligible issues affecting the footwear manufacture successful 2025.

While trademark complaints made up the bulk of the ineligible dramas this year, different disputes made headlines arsenic well.

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From White Mountain’s conflict with Birkenstock to Steve Madden sparring with Adidas, FN rounds up 9 of the biggest ineligible dramas successful footwear successful 2025.

White Mountain Footwear and its genitor institution American Exchange Group are warring backmost successful an ongoing suit with Birkenstock.

In a caller question filed earlier this period successful U.S. District Court successful Massachusetts, White Mountain is seeking the tribunal to disregard Birkenstock’s claims owed to “undisputed evidence” that allegedly proves that the German footwear institution “turned a unsighted oculus for 30 years” portion White Mountain sold alleged “lookalike” footwear styles akin to Birkenstock.

Birkenstock archetypal filed the suit against White Mountain Footwear successful March 2024.

In the archetypal complaint, the German footwear firm’s U.S. subsidiary claimed that White Mountain and its genitor American Exchange allegedly person “systematically copied and produced knockoffs” of Birkenstock’s Buckley clog; its trademark for its signature bone-pattern sole design; and commercialized formal rights successful its Arizona two-strap sandal, Boston clog, and Mayari toe-loop sandal.

Swiss moving marque On faced a caller people enactment suit successful October aft aggregate radical claimed its sneakers with CloudTec outsoles emit “a loud, embarrassing, and hard to halt squeaking sound” with each step.

In a ailment filed successful U.S. District Court successful Oregon, Patricia Ramirez and Louis Bologna some claimed they were “injured by the terms premium” they paid for the shoes arsenic a effect of On’s “material representations and omissions.”

When contacted by FN, a typical from On stated that the institution does not remark connected ongoing ineligible matters.

In July, Kizik genitor institution HandsFree Labs has filed a suit against Skechers USA for allegedly infringing connected its footwear patents.

In a suit filed successful the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, Kizik claimed that Skechers “knowingly and willfully infringed” 4 HandsFree Labs inferior patents, which support halfway mechanical innovations that alteration existent hands-free footwear entry, arsenic good arsenic 2 HandsFree Labs plan patents, which support ornamental innovations.