FILA USA responded today to the piece I posted on the Vibram lawsuit over the articulated toes of a FILA USA shoe called Skeletoes. The folks at FILA USA have a different opinion and have expressed it below.. It is nice to see people actually reading and responding to RBR. So, read on, gentle readers:
Fila
USA, Inc. announced today that the company will vigorously defend
itself against the complaint filed on July 6, 2011 by Vibram S.p.A. and
Vibram USA Inc. in the United States District Court for the District of
Massachusetts alleging that Fila USA Inc.’s Skele-toesâ„¢ line of footwear
infringes three patents. Fila has reviewed the allegations in Vibram’s
complaint and has determined that they are without merit. Prior
to developing and releasing this line of footwear in February 2011,
Fila determined that the Skele-Toes shoes did not infringe any existing
patents including those owned by Vibram. Though Vibram is generally
credited with launching the minimalist trend in the footwear industry,
Fila Skele-Toes joins a long history of shoes with articulated toes
and represents a more accessible approach to this rapidly
expanding minimalist footwear category.
