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Nike zealously safeguards the company’s intellectual property, and who’s surprised by that?
After all, the global shoemaking titan’s products are — and for years have been — in hot demand with consumers ranging from preschool tots to professional basketball players. Frankly, there is a lot to protect.
We note on our business and commercial law website at the established Pasadena law firm of Larson & Gaston, LLP, that “one of the most important assets of a business organization is its brand,” as defined largely by the intellectual property it has worked diligently to create and market.
And, given that, we add, it is hardly front-page news that business rivals “can and do seek to appropriate these powerful assets for their own gain.”
When that occurs, companies that are being ripped off often seek to timely secure the services of a proven and aggressive law firm to identify the unlawful activities of competitors, enjoin their infringing efforts and collect damages for any unlawful gains that were made through misappropriation.
Nike is at the very center of the athletic shoe and apparel universe, and it is neither surprising that rivals frequently seek to take advantage of the company nor that Nike officials respond to such efforts in quick and resolute fashion.
Case in point: a flurry of Nike-filed federal lawsuits against shoe rivals alleging patent and trademark infringement, as reported in a number of media outlets recently. One such report notes recent litigation aimed at Skechers, a key business rival based in Southern California.
It is certainly clear that shoemakers compete against each other most aggressively in their lucrative market.
And it is just as apparent that, when allegations of intellectual property infringement surface, a strong legal response can logically be expected. Nike’s business actions are certainly proof of that.