Inditex is the loser in Dr Martens court case
A court in California has found in favour of footwear group AirWair International in a dispute over infringements of trademarks of its Dr Martens brand.
In a unanimous verdict, a jury found that four styles that fast fashion group Inditex has sold through its Pull & Bear chain breached the intellectual property of Dr Martens.
Elements in the Pull & Bear products that AirWair International objected to included yellow stitching, grooved sole edges and heel-pull tabs. Inditex argued that these were “functional or generic” components, but the jury disagreed.
“Dr Martens took Inditex to trial,” chief executive, Kenny Wilson, said, “because we had a choice between watching our brand, our shoe-making skills and our 60-year rebellious heritage destroyed by badly made, glued copies or we could fight for our brand.”
He explained that the company had chosen to “stand up and fight for the uniqueness of Dr Martens”.
