Recent Developments
 
Last month, the Sen ate Judiciary Committee unanimously approved President Trump's nominee for Under S ecretary of Commerce for Int ellectual Property and the Direc tor of the United States Patent and Trademark Office, Andrei Iancu. Mr. Iancu's nomination is not controversial and he is expected to be confirmed as the next head of the USPTO soon. 
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Litigation

Adidas Am., Inc.; et al. v. TRB Acquisitions LLC, et al. , 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 193445 (D. Ore. November 22, 2017). Synopsis: A federal court denies defendants' motion to compel with regards to one fact witness and orders that the documents be independently reviewed by two witnesses and be produced to the court in camera with complete deposition transcripts for those two witnesses in a trademark infringement action.

Cobra Int'l, Inc. v. BCNY Int'l, Inc.; et al. , 2017 U.S. App. LEXIS 23133 (Fed. Cir. November 17, 2017). Synopsis: A federal court affirms the district court's denial of Cobra's motion for leave to amend its complaint and denial of defendants' motion for summary judgement in a patent infringement action involving circuitry for lighted footwear.
Deckers Outdoor Corp. v. Li; et al. , 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 190049 (E.D.N.Y. November 15, 2017). Synopsis: A federal court recommends that Deckers' motion for default judgment against Li and Fu Li Trading in a patent and trademark infringement action concerning Deckers' UGG footwear products.
Crocs, Inc. v. Effervescent, Inc.; et al. , 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 185223 (D. Colo. November 8, 2017). Synopsis: A federal court denies Dawgs' motion for leave to supplement its contentions of invalidity for certain patents in a patent infringement action.
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USPTO
 
 
Utility patents issued in the month of November:
 
Pat. No.             Title                                                                                                           Assignee
9,826,799           Uppers and Articles Incorporating Same                                                                            NIKE, Inc.
9,826,798           Upper w/ Textile Component w/ Tensile Elements                                                             NIKE, Inc.
9,826,797           Support Structures for Footwear & Methods                                                                      NIKE, Inc.
9,826,796           Sole with Projections and Article Of Footwear                                                                         Reebok
9,826,795           Removable Spat for a Shoe                                                                                                 NIKE, Inc.
9,826,794           Shoe Sole Mounting Standard for Bicycle Cleat                                                          Speedplay, Inc.
9,823,049           Bomb Toe Cap & Method of Forming the Same                                                        VIBRAM SP.A.
9,820,535           Fastening Devices & Systems & Methods Thereof                                                          Hickies, Inc.
9,820,533           Removable Decorative Cover for Elevated Heel                                                                          None
9,820,532           Auxetic Structures & Footwear w/ Soles w/ Same                                                             NIKE, Inc.
9,820,531           Footwear Including an Incline Adjuster                                                                              NIKE, Inc.
9,820,530           Knit Footwear w/ Customized Midsole & Cleat                                                                 NIKE, Inc.
9,820,529           Asymmetric Torsion Plate & Composite Sole                                                                     NIKE, Inc.
9,820,528           Soles for Sports Shoes                                                                                                         Adidas AG
9,820,527           Rapid-Entry Footwear w/ Rebounding Fit System                                                       FAST IP, LLC
9,820,526           Footwear Cover System                                                                                                                None
9,814,961           Collapsible Snowshoes and Methods Thereof                                                        Alite Designs, Inc.
9,814,281           Combination Shoelace & Hook & Loop Fasteners..                                                   Bell Sports, Inc.
9,814,280           Heel Dampening Systems & Footwear w/ Same                                          Ariat International, Inc.
9,810,709           Flight Time                                                                                                                          NIKE, Inc.
9,810,591           System & Method of Analyzing Athletic Activity                                                              NIKE, Inc.
9,809,015           Customizing Article Using Graphic Transfer                                                                      NIKE, Inc.
9,808,701           Wearable Data Hub                                                                                              Under Armour, Inc.
9,808,690           Shoot the Boots Brand Backyard, Tailgating Game                                                                      None
9,808,050           Lace Ratchet Fastening Device                                                                                                     None
9,808,049           Clamping Device for a Cable Closure System                                                        Northwave S.R.L.
9,808,048           Footwear w/ Looped Tensile Strand Elements                                                                    NIKE, Inc.
9,808,047         Smooth Shoe Uppers & Methods for Producing                                   Reebok International Limited
9,808,046         Customization of Inner Sole Board                                                                                       NIKE, Inc.
9,808,045         Footwear Having an Adjustable Width Feature                                                        Mizuno USA, Inc.
9,808,044         Modifiable and Decorative Footwear                                                                                              None


 
Patent applications published in the month of November:
                                                                                                                      
Pub. App. No.   Title                                                                                                          Applicant
20170342612     Footwear Knitting & Manuf. Method, & Footwear                                        Shima Seiki Mfg., Ltd.
20170341327     Method & Apparatus for Auto. Manuf. Shoe Soles                                                             adidas AG
20170341326     Method for Manuf. of Shoe Sole, Shoe Sole, Shoe                                                             adidas AG
20170341325     Sole Mold for Manufacturing a Sole                                                                                    adidas AG
20170340277     Athletic or Other Performance Sensing Systems                                                                NIKE, Inc.
20170340276     Shoe with Integrally Connected Sleeve                                                                  Ava Noorzai; et al.
20170340068     Button Cover Device                                                                                                    Mordechai Ort
20170340067     Method & System for Auto. Manufacturing Shoes                                                             adidas AG
20170340066     A Loosening Prevention Lace                                                                                    Shindo Co., Ltd.
20170340065     Crystal Hook                                                                                                      Tammy Santana, Inc.
20170340064     Method for Manuf. Footwear, Footwear, Machine                                                SALOMON S.A.S.
20170340063     Upper for Footwear with Auxetic Configuration                                                                NIKE, Inc.
20170340062     Insole and Shoe                                                                  Dongguan Lanhui Commodity Tech. Co
20170340061     Footwear Sole                                                                                                   JV International S.r.l.
20170340060     Sole Structure with Laterally Aligned Fins                                                                         NIKE, Inc.
20170340059     Footwear w/ Sole \ w/ Fluid-Filled Chamber...                                                                   NIKE, Inc.
20170340058     Sole Structure for Footwear w/ Sensory Feedback                                                             NIKE, Inc.
20170340057     Footwear Including Sole Assembly                                                                     Under Armour, Inc.
20170340056     Sole Structure for Footwear w/ Tension Member..                                                              NIKE, Inc.
20170340055     Sole for Footwear w/ Nonlinear Bending Stiffness                                                             NIKE, Inc.
20170340054     Footwear Sole Structure with Articulating Plates                                                Under Armour, Inc.
20170340053     Multi-Durometer Sole Structure for Footwear                                                                    NIKE, Inc.
20170340052     Orthotic Insert Device                                                                                                      Heel-it, LLC
20170340051     Adjustable Shoe                                                                                                     Ariel Rogers; et al.
20170340050     Bicycle Pedal Cover Systems                                                                          Jarrett Vaughan; et al.
20170340049     Footwear Having Sensor System                                                                                         NIKE, Inc.
20170340048     Illuminating Footwear Assembly                                                                         Benjamin F. Goings
20170339773     Intelligent Illuminator w/ Luminous Object                                                             Szu-Hsiang Chen
20170339524     Smart Terminal Service System & Processing Data                                             LG Electronics Inc.
20170337608     Replacement Footwear, Process, Vending...                                                                  Grendene S.A.
20170336870     Foot Gesture-Based Control Device                                              Orpyx Medical Technologies Inc.
20170336781     Dynamic Footwear Cushioning System                                Lenovo Enterprise Solutions Pte. Ltd.
20170336273     Force Sensing Device                                                                         HCi Viocare Technologies Ltd.
20170332944     Apparatus for Adjusting Foot Structures, Design                                 Tensegrity Technologies, Inc.
20170332739     Portable Steaming System for Articles of Footwear                                                           NIKE, Inc.
20170332738     Adhering Boot Shaper Device                                                                       Caroline Nicole Ouimet
20170332737     Athletic Cleat                                                                                                        Under Armour, Inc.
20170332736     Shoe Fastening System                                                                                                 Zachary Casas
20170332735     Footwear w/ Pulley System Having Guide Portion                                                             NIKE, Inc.
20170332734     Article of Footwear with a Pulley System                                                                           NIKE, Inc.
20170332733     Insole Design                                                                                                                RSPRINT N.V.
20170332732     Removable Shoe Sole System                                                                                 Pure Fishing, Inc.
20170332731     Article of Footwear Having an Auxetic Structure                                                               NIKE, Inc.
20170332730     Contoured Fluid-Filled Chamber                                                                                        NIKE, Inc.
20170332729     Footwear                                                                                                                 Francesco Milianti
20170332728     Lightweight Thermoplastic Soles                                                                                   Dansko, LLC
20170332727     Modular Insert System for Shoe Soles                                                                   Harald Beck; et al.
20170332726     Running Shoes, Hiking Shoes And Boots...                                                                            Baychar
20170332725     Sandals with Biomechanical Foot Support                                                            Vionic Group LLC
20170332724     Shoe Having a Printed Design & Printing Processs                                 Jono Anthony Kupferberg
20170332723     Lighted Footwear Device                                                                                             Kevin Caldwell
20170332722     Footwear w/ Knitted Component w/ Monofilament                                                           NIKE, Inc.
20170326432     Method & System - Ball Positions & First Downs                                                              Jeb Brown
20170325989     Shoe w/ Custom Molded Foot Plate & Method                                                     Stephen M. Levine
20170325548     Wire Tightening Apparatus                                                                                             Young Ho Ha
20170325547     Embroidered Vamp Process and Vamp                               Sincetech (Fujian) Technology Co., Ltd.
20170325546     Three-Dimensionally Thermo-Molded Footwear                                                               Adidas AG
20170325545     Three-Dimensional Thermo-Molding of Footwear                                                             Adidas AG
20170325544     Article of Footwear for Weightlifting                                                                                  NIKE, Inc.
20170325543     Sole Structure for Shoes & Shoe w/ Sole Structure                                            Mizuno Corporation
20170325542     Heel Wedge Shoe w/ Cushion Within Heel Wedge                                                    Cole Haan LLC
20170325541     Footwear Attachment Assembly                                                        Deckers Outdoor Corporation
20170325540     Huarache Sport Sandal                                                                                      Daniel Opalacz; et al.
20170325539     Cow Hitch Sandal                                                                                                           Agnes H. Yen
20170325538     Wearable Step-Counting Shoe                                                          Homeway Technology Co., Ltd.
20170325537     Article of Footwear Having a Textile Upper                                                                       NIKE, Inc.
20170325536     Article of Footwear Having a Textile Upper                                                                       NIKE, Inc.
20170325535     Article of Footwear Having a Textile Upper                                                                       NIKE, Inc.
20170325527     Garment & Accessory Attachment for Displaying                                             Stephen Lewis; et al.
20170320214     Method and System of Automatic Shoe Lacing                                      Solomon Technology Corp.
20170319937     Golf Training Device                                                                                                        David Nevell
20170319368     Instrumented Orthotic                                                                                           Allen Joseph Selner
20170318911     Shoe Treatment                                                                                                                  Dukoz LLC
20170318910     Heel Protector                                                                                                             Gogo Heel, LLC
20170318909     Disposable Covering Device                                                                                        Glenda Gilbert
20170318908     Lace Tightener Incorporating Sma Wire                                                           Recovery Force, LLC
20170318907     Shoelace Comprising a Silicone Band                                                                          Creton Sylvain
20170318906     Flexible Fastening System for Shoe Tongue                         Avery Dennison Retail Info. Svs, LLC
20170318905     Footwear w/ Upper Incorp. Chamber Element                                                                    NIKE, Inc.
20170318904     Footwear w/ Outsole Web & Midsole Protrusions                                                              NIKE, Inc.
20170318903     Force Mitigating Athletic Shoe                                                         Jeffrey Mark Rasmussen; et al.
20170318902     Article w/ Outer Layer w/ Varying Hardnesses                                                                   NIKE, Inc.
20170318901     Outer Sole and Shoe                                                                                                Asics Corporation
20170318900     An Orthotic & Method of Making an Orthotic                                       Peacocks Orthotics Limited
20170318899     Footwear with Built-In Intrinsic Midsole                                                              Vionic Group LLC
20170318898     Weight Adjustable Calibrated Orthotics                                                                        Ty Totty; et al.
20170318897     Roller Skate System Having a Rail and a Boot                                                      Powerslide GmbH
20170318896     Footwear Having an Elevated Plate Sole Structure                                                             NIKE, Inc.
20170318895     A Modular Shoe                                                                                        Gaynor Marie Thomasson
20170318894     Article of Footwear Having a Textile Upper                                                                       NIKE, Inc.
20170314894     Soft Ballistic Resistant Armor                                                                   George C. Tunis, III; et al.
20170314775     Rechargeable Illuminating Shoes                                                                              Joseph Goodrich
20170312161     Adaptive Compression Therapy Systems, Methods                                              Eric Johnson; et al.
20170311683     Direct Printing to Fabric                                                                                                      NIKE, Inc.
20170311682     Failure Compensating Lace Tension Devices                                                      Boa Technology Inc.
20170311681     Shoe Body-Forming Piece, Manufacturing Method                                     Aknit International Ltd.
20170311680     Resilient Pad for Footwear                                                                       Harrison Spinks Beds LTD
20170311679     Adjustable Multi-Bladder System for Footwear                                                                  NIKE, Inc.
20170311678     Skate Boot with Flexible Midfoot Section                                                                  Marie Smirman
20170311677     Hockey Skate                                                                                                       Bauer Hockey, LLC
20170311676     Base for Ski Boot & Ski Boot w/ Such a Base                                                          K-2 Corporation
20170311675     Flip Flops With Wind And Water Barrier                                                                      Dan Steinberg
20170311674     Snake Bite Protection Footwear                                                                                   Xiaoyue Huang
20170311673     Plastic Footwear w/ Inner & Outer Liner of Fabric                              Juan Antonio Urtaza Guerra
20170311672     Footwear w/ Multiple Layers, Retention System...                                                             NIKE, Inc.
20170311671     Article of Footwear Having a Textile Upper                                                                       NIKE, Inc.
20170311670     Article of Footwear Having a Textile Upper                                                                       NIKE, Inc.
20170311666     Magnetic Closures                                                                             The North Face Apparel Corp.
20170311658     Self-Sustainable Body-Cooling Garment                                                         Abu Dhabi University
20170311650     Sock and Shoe                                                                                                                      adidas AG
 
 
Design patents issued in the month of November:
                                                                                                                         
Pat. No.             Title                                                                                                           Assignee
D804,045           Orthotic Insert                                                                                                                                None
D803,544           Thong Sock                                                                                                                                    None
D803,543           Foot Thong                                                                                                                    Spanteez, LLC
D803,542           Braided Strap for a Shoe                                                                                 Aetrex Worldwide, Inc.
D803,541           Shoe Upper                                                                                                                          NIKE, Inc.
D803,540           Shoe Upper                                                                                                                          NIKE, Inc.
D803,539           Shoe Insole                                                                                                       Implus Footcare, LLC
D803,538           Shoe Sole                                                                                                                              adidas AG
D803,537           Shoe Sole                                                                                                                              adidas AG
D803,536           Footwear Tread                                                                                                    TBL Licensing LLC
D803,535           Footwear Tread                                                                                                    TBL Licensing LLC
D803,534           Footwear Tread                                                                                                    TBL Licensing LLC
D803,533           Sole Structure for an Article of Footwear                                                            Under Armour, Inc.
D803,532           Boot Sole                                                                                                                                       None
D803,531           Shoe Midsole                                                                                                                       NIKE, Inc.
D803,530           Midsole of a Footwear Article                                                                                     Salomon S.A.S.
D803,529           Shoe                                                                                                                     TBL Licensing LLC
D803,528           Shoe                                                                                                                     TBL Licensing LLC
D803,527           Shoe                                                                                                                         GRENDENE S.A.
D803,526           Boot                                                                                                               LaCrosse Footwear, Inc.
D802,909           Portion of a Boot Upper                                                                                 Dynasty Footwear, Ltd.
D802,908           Portion of a Boot Upper                                                                                 Dynasty Footwear, Ltd.
D802,907           Portion of a Boot Upper                                                                                 Dynasty Footwear, Ltd.
D802,906           Shoe Upper                                                                                                                          NIKE, Inc.
D802,905           Shoe Upper                                                                                                                          NIKE, Inc.
D802,904           Footwear                                                                                                                              Crocs, Inc.
D802,903           Shoe Upper                                                                                                                          NIKE, Inc.
D802,902           Shoe Upper                                                                                                                                    None
D802,901           Shoe Upper                                                                                                                          NIKE, Inc.
D802,900           Shoe Outsole                                                                                                                        NIKE, Inc.
D802,899           Shoe                                                                                                     Reebok International Limited
D802,898           Shoe                                                                                                     Reebok International Limited
D802,897           Shoe Sole                                                                                                              Under Armour, Inc.
D802,896           Shoe                                                                                                                                      adidas AG
D802,895           Shoe Outsole                                                                                                                        NIKE, Inc.
D802,894           Sandal                                                                                                                     Vionic Group LLC
D802,893           Ankle Sleeve                                                                                            IdeaVillage Products Corp.
D802,292           Sock                                                                                                          Thirty Three Threads, Inc.
D802,291           Shoe Upper                                                                                                                          NIKE, Inc.
D802,290           Shoe Upper                                                                                                                          NIKE, Inc.
D802,289           Shoe Upper                                                                                                                          NIKE, Inc.
D802,288           Shoe Upper                                                                                                                          NIKE, Inc.
D802,287           Shoe Upper                                                                                                                          NIKE, Inc.
D802,286           Shoe Upper                                                                                                                          NIKE, Inc.
D802,285           Shoe Upper                                                                                                                          NIKE, Inc.
D802,284           Shoe Upper                                                                                                                          NIKE, Inc.
D802,283           Shoe Upper                                                                                                                          NIKE, Inc.
D802,282           Shoe Upper                                                                                                                          NIKE, Inc.
D802,281           Shoe                                                                                                                                     NIKE, Inc.
D802,280           Shoe Upper                                                                                                                          NIKE, Inc.
D802,279           Shoe Upper                                                                                                                          NIKE, Inc.
D802,278           Shoe Upper                                                                                                                          NIKE, Inc.
D802,277           Boot Upper                                                                                                     Dynasty Footwear, Ltd.
D802,276           Shoe Outsole                                                                                                                        NIKE, Inc.
D802,275           Shoe Outsole                                                                                                                        NIKE, Inc.
D802,274           Shoe Outsole                                                                                                                        NIKE, Inc.
D802,273           Shoe Outsole                                                                                                                        NIKE, Inc.
D802,272           Shoe Outsole                                                                                                                        NIKE, Inc.
D802,271           Shoe Outsole                                                                                                                        NIKE, Inc.
D802,270           Shoe Outsole                                                                                                                        NIKE, Inc.
D802,269           Shoe Outsole                                                                                                                        NIKE, Inc.
D802,268           Shoe Outsole                                                                                                                        NIKE, Inc.
D802,267           Golf Shoe Outsole                                                                                                 Acushnet Company
D802,266           Shoe Midsole                                                                                                                       NIKE, Inc.
D802,265           Shoe                                                                                                        Nicholas Kirkwood Limited
D802,264           Shoe                                                                                                        Nicholas Kirkwood Limited
D802,263           Shoe                                                                                                                                               None
D802,262           Shoe                                                                                                        Nicholas Kirkwood Limited
D802,261           Zipper Shoe                                                                                                                                   None
D802,260           Baseball Cap Shoe                                                                                                                         None
D801,679           Pocket Sock                                                                                                                 Strideline, LLC
D801,678           Pocket Sock                                                                                                                 Strideline, LLC
D801,677           Shoe Upper                                                                                                                          NIKE, Inc.
D801,676           Shoe Upper                                                                                                                          NIKE, Inc.
D801,675           Shoe Upper                                                                                                                          NIKE, Inc.
D801,674           Shoe Upper                                                                                                                          NIKE, Inc.
D801,673           Shoe Upper                                                                                                                          NIKE, Inc.
D801,672           Shoe Upper                                                                                                                          NIKE, Inc.
D801,671           Shoe Upper                                                                                                                          NIKE, Inc.
D801,670           Shoe Upper                                                                                                                          NIKE, Inc.
D801,669           Shoe Upper                                                                                                                          NIKE, Inc.
D801,668           Shoe Upper                                                                                                                          NIKE, Inc.
D801,667           Shoe Upper                                                                                                                          NIKE, Inc.
D801,666           Shoe Upper                                                                                                                          NIKE, Inc.
D801,665           Footwear                                                                                                   Mulberry Imports Limited
D801,664           Shoe Upper                                                                                                                          NIKE, Inc.
D801,663           Shoe Upper                                                                                                                          NIKE, Inc.
D801,662           Children's Orthotic Insert                                                                                                              None
D801,661           Shoe Outsole                                                                                                                        NIKE, Inc.
D801,660           Shoe Outsole                                                                                                                        NIKE, Inc.
D801,659           Shoe Outsole                                                                                                                        NIKE, Inc.
D801,658           Footwear Sole                                                                                             Wolverine Outdoors, Inc.
D801,657           Shoe Outsole                                                                                                                        NIKE, Inc.
D801,656           Shoe Outsole                                                                                                                        NIKE, Inc.
D801,655           Shoe Outsole                                                                                                                        NIKE, Inc.
D801,654           Shoe Outsole                                                                                                                        NIKE, Inc.
D801,653           Shoe Outsole                                                                                                                        NIKE, Inc.
D801,652           Shoe Outsole                                                                                                                        NIKE, Inc.
D801,651           Sole Plate for an Article of Footwear                                                                   Under Armour, Inc.
D801,650           Shoe Midsole                                                                                                                       NIKE, Inc.
D801,649           Insertable Adaptors & Adjustable Cushioning Heel                                     Therafit Footwear, LLC
D801,648           Shoe                                                                                                                                               None
D801,647           Combined Sandal Upper and Midsole                                                                   Vionic Group LLC
D801,646           Removable Cleat Protector                                                                                                            None
D801,645           Shoe                                                                                                                            Valentino S.p.A.
______________________________________________________________________________
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General News  
 
Louboutin Wins Trademark Battle in India
Footwear News
December 22, 2017
By Ella Chochrek
 
Luxury footwear designer Christian Louboutin was awarded almost 10 lakh rupees ($156,078) in damages and a permanent injunction against two shoe dealers for the infringement of its red sole trademark in India.
 
The Delhi High Court found the shoe traders - named Kamal Family Footwear and Adra Steps - in violation of the red sole trademark, which is on nearly all of the designer's high-end shoes, and a signature Louboutin detail. Summonses were issued in June 2016 to the defendants, who had sold women's high heels with red soles.
 
Luxury footwear designer Christian Louboutin was awarded almost 10 lakh rupees ($156,078) in damages and a permanent injunction against two shoe dealers for the infringement of its red sole trademark in India.
  
 

This Sportswear Brand Will Unveil the World's First Graphene Running Shoes Made From Material 200x Stronger Than Steel
Footwear News
December 15, 2017
By Erin E. Clack
 
Thirteen years ago, Andrew Geim and Kostya Novoselov, scientists at England's University of Manchester, figured out how to isolate the two-dimensional material graphene from graphite, earning them the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2010.
 
Since then, there has been tremendous buzz around the material and its potentially revolutionizing applications to myriad industries, technologies and products - among them, athletic shoes.
 
Leading the charge, British sportswear brand Inov-8 has partnered with the University of Manchester to bring to market the first running and fitness shoes made with graphene. The shoes are set to be unveiled some time next year. Despite being the thinnest material in the world, graphene is...

 
Barnes & Thornburg LLP. If you have questions regarding any article, would like further information, or have suggestions about future articles, please contact David Spooner at david.spooner@btlaw.com