Reebok Can’t Trademark Ubiquitous ‘80s Shoe Styles, Rival Argues

Reebok International Ltd shouldn’t be able to claim exclusive rights to the window-box, crosscheck, and stripecheck patterns on its athletic shoes because consumers don’t associate such commonly used ornamentation with any particular sneaker brand, Autry International S.r.l. told a federal court.

Rival sneaker maker Autry argued “numerous third parties” have used similar designs “for decades,” and customers are accustomed to seeing the design patterns used on footwear sold by different manufacturers, the company said Wednesday in an answer to Reebok’s trademark infringement complaint filed in the US District Court for the District of Massachusetts.

“Reebok does not have (and cannot ...