7-Eleven sues Nike over allegations of brand identity imitation

Convenience store giant 7-Eleven has sued Nike over claims that the sportswear giant copied its signature tri-colour stripe branding for a new sneaker design.

The filing specifically pertains to Nike’s use of an orange, green and red stripe feature seen on its incoming Air Max 95 sneaker, scheduled to release on July 11, typically referred to as ‘7-Eleven Day’.

In the complaint, which was issued with the US District Court for the Northern District of Texas, Nike was accused of “a callous and malicious disregard for 7-Eleven’s rights”.

The retailer said Nike’s upcoming shoe bore a “confusingly similar imitation” of its tri-colour branding, and added that the trademark-protected branding element has been used for decades across consumer-facing initiatives, from marketing to product.

In a statement cited by Reuters, 7-Eleven said “based on the unauthorised use of our brand along with the impending launch in a matter of days on our birthday, 7-Eleven Day, we had to act quickly and decisively to protect our brand”.

The retail chain said it had attempted to resolve the dispute prior to the lawsuit filing, but Nike planned to move forward with the launch regardless.

7-Eleven, which claims consumers are likely to mistake the shoe as either sponsored or endorsed by the company, is asking the court to block Nike’s sale of the shoe entirely, recall any products already distributed, and to issue any profits from the sale of the footwear.