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 series of individuals and companies.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Arizona, alleges trademark and copyright infringement. The defendants are not named — the plaintiffs said they would be identified in a forthcoming sealed document. The lawsuit says they are individuals, unincorporated business associations and corporate entities based largely outside the U.S. and operating through commercial websites hosted domestically.
Attorneys for the company, 45Footwear LLC, asked the court to enjoin the defendants from making illegal reproductions, along with prohibitions 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 “all profits” related to trademark violations or that the court award $2 million for “each use” of the mark counterfeited 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 laceless sneakers and white laceless sneakers — priced at $199 to $399, emblazoned with the letter “T” among other details.
The shoes have also been promoted as a benefit for wealthy donors. Trump’s name, image and likeness were licensed to sell the sneakers. They are not affiliated with his campaign.
Attorneys for 45Footwear said in the lawsuit that they hired an online fraud investigator who identified people and companies promoting and selling counterfeit sneakers “before any authentic sneakers were shipped.”
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
