Walmart settles infringement lawsuit with Vans, agrees to ban sales of counterfeit goods

According to Reuters, on November 13, documents from the U.S. California Federal Court showed that Walmart and Vans had reached a settlement in the trademark infringement lawsuit and agreed to the court's ruling to permanently ban the sale of the brand's counterfeit goods on the platform. Vans' lawsuit claimed that Walmart was suspected of plagiarizing the design of its best-selling products. So far, the lawsuit has lasted for two years.

In 2021, Vans filed its first infringement lawsuit against Walmart, accusing it of copying almost all of Vans' best-selling sneakers, including the Old Skool low-top shoes and the Sk8-Hi high-top shoes. The lawsuit claims that Walmart's counterfeit goods, which cost less than $20, are cheap and poorly made, but look almost exactly the same as the $60 Vans.

In January 2022, Walmart filed a motion to dismiss Vans' lawsuit, saying that Vans' design did not qualify for trademark protection. However, a U.S. district judge pointed out that Walmart's shoes were clearly strikingly similar to Vans' shoes, that Walmart showed some intent to confuse consumers, and that there was evidence that customers were actually confused.

In April 2022, U.S. District Judge David Carter approved Vans' request to temporarily ban Walmart from selling counterfeit shoes and rejected Vans' request to file a contempt lawsuit against Walmart for violating the court order.

In July 2022, Vans filed a lawsuit again, claiming that Walmart continued to sell infringing shoes in violation of the ban, and accused it of becoming more rampant and launching more styles similar to Vans' best-selling shoes. Vans asked the court to fine Walmart $3,000 per day.

Until recently, the two-year legal battle between Walmart and Vans came to an end. Agreeing to ban the sale of counterfeit brands means that Walmart will strengthen the supervision and review of footwear products sold by third-party sellers on the platform, and sellers may need to pay more attention to whether the products are infringing.

Editor✎ Ashley/

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