HandsFree Labs (HFL), the company behind the intellectual property and innovations of Kizik, has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Skechers at the US District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. According to the complaint, Skechers “knowingly and wilfully” infringed four utility patents owned by HFL that protect core mechanical innovations enabling hands-free shoe entry, as well as two design patents that protect ornamental innovations.

The case centres on Skechers' Hands Free Slip-Ins line. Although Skechers has marketed this line as a major innovation, it incorporates patented technologies that were allegedly invented, developed and protected by HFL years before Skechers entered the market.

“This isn’t just a product Skechers copied, it's a category we created”, commented Gareth Hosford, CEO of HFL. “We poured our energy into developing the technology to solve a real-world problem and make hands-free shoes a reality. We’re now forced to defend that work against a company that chose to imitate rather than innovate”, he added.  

Skechers dismissed Kizik’s allegations as “baseless”, stating that they are “based on the assertion that Kizik created the hands-free footwear category and is the only company that can legally use that century-old idea”. 

The California-based company claims to have developed its unique slip-in technology, for which it has obtained over 140 utility and design patents worldwide, including in the US. It has also rigorously enforced its patent rights, resulting in numerous judgements, injunctions and settlements around the world.

Michael Greenberg, president of Skechers, also pointed out that the timing of the lawsuit was curious, coming as it did on the heels of Skechers’ announcement of the merger with 3G Capital.

“Skechers has been advertising and selling its Slip-ins since December 2021 without so much as a letter from Kizik. Then, after the merger is announced, Kizik hires a law firm also used by Nike and attacks our whole Slip-ins product line. We believe that, after all these years of silence, the true motivation for this lawsuit might be found right on the face of Kizik’s complaint, where they state that they are looking for a share of the 9.42 billion US dollars being paid for Skechers, money Kizik did not earn and does not deserve”. 

Greenberg said that the company will “aggressively challenge” both the validity of the patents and the infringement claims.