Nike is taking A Bathing Ape to court over “near verbatim” copies of their most iconic shoes.
According to Reuters, the sneaker giant is looking to stop BAPE from selling their Bapestas, SK8s, and other designs that rip off the Nike Air Force 1, Nike Dunks, and more. Nike’s lawsuit was filed in a Manhattan federal court and claimed BAPE’s business was predicated on “copying Nike’s iconic designs.”
The suit claims that A Bathing Ape’s sneaker sales were seen as “sporadic” when they first appeared on the market. However, their business model seemingly changed in 2021, with BAPE ramping up sneaker “volume and scope of its infringement.”
“BAPE’s copying is and always has been unacceptable to Nike,” the suit reads. “And because BAPE’s infringements have recently grown to become a significant danger to Nike’s rights, Nike must act now.”
Nike also claims that the Japanese company “refused” to stop their infringements when they were asked. Furthermore, the Oregon-based shoe juggernaut asserted that Bathing Ape’s copycat designs were confusing potential consumers, alleging that “secondary-market sellers” referred to Ape’s kicks as “Air Force 1s” or “Dunks.”
With their lawsuit, Nike hopes BAPE will cease sneaker production on the copycat designs and pay a requested, yet unspecified, sum of money for damages incurred throughout the sales.