The company behind former President Donald Trump’s new sneaker line filed a lawsuit Monday, alleging the sale and promotion of counterfeit shoes by a number of people and business entities.
The lawsuit, filed in Arizona federal court, alleges trademark and copyright violations. The defendants are not identified – the plaintiffs said they would be identified in a forthcoming sealed document. The lawsuit says these are individuals, unincorporated business associations and business entities located largely outside the US, operating through commercial websites hosted in the country.
Lawyers for the company, 45Footwear LLC, asked the court to prohibit the defendants from any illicit reproduction, along with a ban on advertising or selling counterfeit sneakers or operating or registering websites linked to their sales. They also asked the defendants to account for and pay them “any and all profits” related to trademark law violations or for the court to award $2 million for “each use” of the counterfeit mark by each defendant and $25,000 for each copyright infringement. .
Trump launched the Trump Sneakers line in February. It features three different pairs – high tops, red slip-on sneakers and white slip-on sneakers – costing from US$199 to US$399, printed with the letter “T”, among other details.
The shoes were also promoted as a benefit for high-value donors. Trump’s name, image and likeness were licensed to sell the sneakers. They are not affiliated with his campaign.
Lawyers for 45Footwear said in the filing that they hired an online fraud investigator who identified people and companies promoting and selling counterfeit sneakers “even before any authentic sneakers were shipped.”
This story originally appeared on NBCNews.com read the full story
