US District Court overturns jury ruling against Lululemon in Nike patent dispute
US District Court overturns jury ruling against Lululemon in Nike patent dispute
The judge nullified the earlier damages award of $355,450
The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York has overturned the jury ruling against Lululemon USA Inc in the Beaverton, Oregon-based Nike Inc patent dispute. The jury had found Lululemon liable for infringing a Nike patent tied to footwear manufacturing technology.
District Judge Arun Subramanian ruled that the patent was not valid and nullified the earlier damages award of $355,450 granted to Nike.
A Lululemon spokesperson stated, "We are very pleased with the court’s decision to overturn the verdict, which confirms that Lululemon has now prevailed in every jurisdiction in this case."
The case originated in 2023 when Nike accused Lululemon of patent infringement through several running and training shoe models, including the Canadian company’s Chargefeel, Strongfeel, and Blissfeel sneakers.
Nike had sought damages amounting to at least 5 percent of revenue generated from those products.
While a jury had earlier concluded that one of Nike’s patents related to knitting techniques (used in shoe uppers) was infringed, the judge has now ruled that the patent lacked sufficient novelty. He added that the method would have been evident to professionals in the field at the time of invention.
In a separate legal matter filed in 2022, Nike alleged that Lululemon’s Mirror Home Gym product infringed additional patents. That case remains pending.
