Nike & Kool Kiy Reach Settlement Over Trademark Infringement
Written by djfrosty on August 25, 2023
Source: Lynne Cameron – The FA / Getty
After a year of back-and-forth in a court of law, Nike and a Kool Kiy partner have reached a settlement on a trademark infringement lawsuit that the Swoosh brand filed against Kool Kiy in 2022.
Nice Kicks is reporting that Nike and Kool Kiy partners David Weeks and Nickwon Arvinger have seemingly settled their lawsuit filed, Aug. 23, in which Nike accused the up and coming brand of straight biting their Air Jordan 1 silhouette with minor differences and making a profit off of it. Real talk, a lot of heads were copping those Kool Kiy kicks as they weren’t half bad. Yes, they looked like OG Air Jordan 1s, but instead of a Swoosh check they sported a lightning bolt logo on the side.
Nice Kicks reports:
The court ordered that defendant David Weeks admit that Nike is the exclusive owner of all registered trademarks named in the lawsuit.
Additionally, the judge ordered that Weeks would no longer be able to produce and distribute Kool Kiy’s shoes.
On February 15, Kool Kiy filed a counter lawsuit that stated that customers wanted a product different from the “norm” and that Kool Kiy’s registered Lightning Bolt trademark logo did not resemble the Nike Swoosh. The new ruling dismissed all of Kool Kiy’s counterclaims against Nike.
Yeah, the reasoning behind Kool Kiy’s countersuit didn’t have a chance in hell. Just sayin’.
The news comes a year after Nike reached a settlement with John Geiger over his trademark Infringement as he was using the Nike Air Force 1 silhouette to create his own GF-01 sneakers that bore a striking resemblance to the classic Nike silhouette.
In the past few years, Nike hasn’t been scared to flex their legal muscle as they’ve been suing any and everyone they feel are exploiting their products for their own personal financial gain. From custom designers to Stock X, no one is safe if they’re messing with Nike’s billion dollar empire. Heck, if you go viral for dancing wrong in a pair of SB Dunks, Nike might serve you with a legal notice to stop dancing in their products. It’s that real.
What do y’all think of Nike settling with Kool Kiy? Will you miss the Kool Kiy kicks with the lightening bolt? Let us know in the comments section below.
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