Converse is sick of their style being imitated and is dishing out lawsuits. The New York Times reports that the footwear company has taken legal action against 31 companies for trademark infringement. In 22 separate lawsuits filed in the U.S District Court in Brooklyn on Oct. 14th, Converse named companies like Wal-Mart, K-Mart, Sketchers, Ralph Lauren, FILA and others claiming that they have copied the design of their Chuck Taylor sneaker.
Converse has also filed a separate complaint with the International Trade Commission to stop these companies from selling what they consider Chuck Taylor imitations. The ITC has the power to prevent anything considered fake from entering the country to be sold.
“The goal really is to stop this action,” Converse chief executive Jim Calhoun told NYT. “I think we’re quite fortunate here to be in the possession of what we would consider to be an American icon.”
The amount that Converse is seeking has not been disclosed.