The company behind former President Donald Trump's new sneaker line has filed a lawsuit alleging the sale and promotion of counterfeit shoes.
The suit claims trademark and copyright violations, but the defendants are not named. The shoemaker, 45Footwear LLC, said they would be identified in a forthcoming sealed document.
The lawsuit says the defendants are individuals, unincorporated business associations and business entities located largely outside the U.S.
"Many of the defendants conduct their operations through fully interactive commercial websites hosted independently by GoDaddy.com (based in Tempe, AZ) namecheap.com (based in Phoenix, AZ) or similar website-hosting providers, or through various commerce sites, such a Shopify, Meta (Facebook and Instagram), YouTube, Amazon, eBay, Wish, Alibaba, Ali Express, Shopify, Shoplazza, etc. (the “Infringing Webstores”)," the lawsuit states.
According to the suit, a batch of counterfeit sneakers were recently confiscated by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection in Orlando, from a shipment that originated in Vietnam.
The lawsuit notes that authentic sneakers were assembled in and will ship from the U.S.
Attorneys for 45Footwear LLC asked the court to prohibit the defendants from any illicit reproduction of Trump's "Never Surrender" high top sneakers, along with bans on advertising or selling counterfeit sneakers.
"Plaintiff has expended substantial time, money, effort, and other resources developing, advertising, and otherwise promoting the Mark and the Copyright to sell the premium, limited edition Sneakers for $399 per pair," the suit states. "Many Defendants are selling Counterfeit Sneakers for as little as $99, if they are in fact selling any product at all."
The counterfeit shoes have caused 45Footwear irreparable harm by creating "confusion, mistake and deception by and among consumers," the suit claims.
The shoemaker is seeking "any and all profits" from sales of the knockoffs, or damages of $2 million for "each and every" unauthorized use of their trademarks, along with $25,000 for each copyright violation.