Vibram sues Fila for patent infringement

It seems like minimalist shoes and individual slots for toes are almost everywhere these days. But Italian firm Vibram S.p.A., maker of FiveFingers shoes, isn’t pleased with so-called “copycats” and is now suing Fila USA for patent infringement.

According to Gear Junkie blogger Stephen Regenold, Vibram S.p.A., the Italian parent of Vibram USA Inc., owns patents that cover this idea of “individually articulable toe portions.” Fila USA, however, has very similar toes and look similar to the FiveFingers design.

Vibram and Fila aren’t the only companies with similar shoes on the market. U.K. firm Innov-8 Ltd. also has a shoe with individual toes, but unlike Fila’s Skele-Toe shoes, Innov-8’s Evoskin don’t have the same kind of construction as the FiveFingers shoes. There’s no word yet on whether or on whether Vibram will take action against Inov-8.

But one thing is clear: Vibram isn’t going to take patent infringements lightly. The company has launched a cheeky new advertising campaign showing the sole of a Vibram FiveFingers shoe appearing to give ‘the finger.’ They call it “a message to anyone thinking about infringing on any of our 200+ patents and trademarks.”

To read more about Vibram’s patent claims — and some analysis on whether the claims are valid — head over to the Gear Junkie blog.