Nike has filed a trademark infringement suit against famous sneaker designers Kool Kiy and Omi and the manufacturer of their sneaker line.
According to Complex, the Swoosh filed a lawsuit featuring six complaints yesterday in the Southern District of New York. Nike claims defendants Nickwon Arvinger and David Weeks of By Kiy LLC (aka Kool Kiy) and Bill Omar of Reloaded Merch LLC (Omi aka “Omi in a Hellcat”) have been “copying, promoting and selling” Nike’s sneaker designs, namely Air Jordan 1 and Dunk, as their own.
Nike’s attorneys say they informed Kool Kiy of the alleged infringement on August 6, 2021, and tried to reach an agreement with the firm to no avail. They also reached out to Omi on October 5, 2002, with a similar warning.
The document sent to “Omi in a Hellcat”, which was viewed by the news outlet, stated the brand had a week to contact Nike’s attorneys to discuss the matter or that it would face a federal lawsuit. Despite these warnings, yesterday’s (November 30) lawsuit alleges that both Kool Kiy and Omi have continued to profit off the infringing sneaker designs.
In the suit filed, Nike also aims at China-based manufacturing company Xiamen Wandering Planet Import and Expert Co., Ltd. The lawsuit states that Wandering Planet played a significant role in the infringement by providing resources to manufacture the “shoe designs in question” for Kool Kiy and Omi.
“By supplying Kiy and Omi with knockoff sneakers using Nike’s registered Air Jordan 1 and Dunk trade dress, Wandering Planet knowingly participated in a scheme to intentionally create confusion in the marketplace and capitalize on it,” the lawsuit reads.
Various side-by-side comparisons of the sneaker designs are also scattered throughout the documents, as are some social media comments from confused consumers. “Kool Kiy took the WHOLE Jordan 1 design,” reads one.
Now, in response to the lawsuit, Kool Kiy took to Instagram to voice his concerns. He wrote:
“Woke Up This Morning To A Lawsuit From The Mega Giant Corporation That I Supported My Whole Life. The Fact That They Suing A Young Black Man , Who Started Out Exactly How They Did, Is Kinda Crazy To Me .. Ironic How They Tell Us To “Just Do It”… KIY READY THO”
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Omi is yet to share his thoughts on the issue.
We hope they can settle this lawsuit outside of federal court. What are your thoughts?
Comment below!