The dispute between the two companies began in December 2021, when Nike sued adidas for allegedly infringing patents relating to its lightweight Flyknit technology. The lawsuit prompted the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) to investigate the matter.
Later in June, the German sporting goods giant filed its own lawsuit in a Texas court over Nike’s shoe-fitting technology, patents surrounding its family of exercise apps, and SNKRS, which is Nike’s limited-edition shoe sale app.
In the lawsuit, adidas pointed to infringement of its 2005 “Adidas_1” sneaker, which was the “world’s first intelligent running shoe [that] sensed and adjusted the comfort of the shoe while the shoe was worn.”
While details surrounding the settlement were not disclosed, the two companies asked courts in Oregon and Texas to drop their cases last week, Reuters reported.
The tussle between the two companies regarding the use and misuse of patents dates back to 2005 when Nike first sued adidas for violating two of its patents in several of its shoe designs. The case was later dropped in 2007.
More recently, adidas lost its case against Nike, which challenged the validity of Nike’s Flyknit patents.
