Skechers sues Reebok for patent infringement

Reuters/California

Sport shoes maker Skechers USA Inc  said it filed a lawsuit against larger rival Adidas AG's  Reebok International Ltd, alleging infringement of patents related to the company's Go Walk shoes.

The suit seeks compensatory and punitive damages and injunctive relief for infringing Skechers' patents and design rights as well as for unfair competition, the company said in a statement.

Skechers also said it would take similar action against any retailer that sells Reebok's Walk Ahead RS shoes.

Reebok said on Thursday it does not comment on pending legal matters.

Skechers' Go Walk range starts at $40 for girls and around $60 for men and women, according to its website. Reebok's Walk Ahead RS women's shoes sell between $42.00 and $54.99 on Amazon.

Skechers filed the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.

Adidas, the world's No.2 sportswear maker behind Nike , had in February sued Under Armour Inc in a U.S. court over alleged infringement of patents governing fitness training and tracker devices.

Adidas has been losing market share to Nike Inc. The market leader extended its lead to take 15 percent of the global sportswear market in 2013 compared with 10.8 percent for Adidas, according to data from Euromonitor, a market research firm.

Skechers' shares were down 1.6 percent at $45.24 on Thursday on the New York Stock Exchange.