• March 8, 2011

Skechers has slapped Sears Holdings Corp. with a trademark infringement suit, saying that footwear sold by the retailer in its Sears and Kmart stores under the TheraShoe, Melrose Avenue, Paris Blues and Athletech labels trade on its brand.

"Skechers has invested tremendous resources into designing, developing and marketing our Skechers Shape-ups, Twinkle Toes and Z-Strap product lines," a release from the Manhattan Beach, Calif.-based company says.

"We have obtained more than 150 patents and trademarks on these lines, and have built them into brand names universally recognized around the world. While we value our relationship with Sears, their actions are causing us tremendous damage, and we simply cannot let any company, let alone a company the size of Sears, infringe on our most valuable intellectual property."