Spanning Over a Decade...
Having already been involved in several high-profile court cases over the past few years, including battles with rebellious sneaker brand MSCHF and most recently reselling platform Stockx, Nike are back at it again, this time with heritage streetwear brand BAPE.
After around two decades of sneaker creation, some of BAPE’s most beloved signature sneakers are under threat as Nike put forward their claim that many of these silhouettes infringe upon their famous Nike Air Force 1, Air Jordan 1 and Nike Dunk sneakers. The Oregon-born industry titan have claimed to have seen this infringement occur for some time, spanning back fifteen years upon the arrival of BAPE into the American market. Fast forward to 2023, Nike have claimed in this lawsuit that BAPE have “drastically increased the volume and scope of its infringement” as the latter produce more footwear models and designs, with documents claiming the BAPE STA, BAPE STA Mid, COURT STA High, SK8 STA, and COURT STA silhouettes have been notable high-profile infringements upon the Nike name.
Whilst neither BAPE of Nike are yet to comment publicly on the situation, this is a case that is expected to heat up pretty quickly. Stay tuned to PAUSE for more information as it arrives.
PHOTO CREDIT: BAPE
