According to reports, Nike filed an opposition against John Geiger's motion to have the trademark infringement claims against him dismissed. The lawyers for the sportswear brand called the motion to dismiss the claims "both procedurally improper and fundamentally wrong as a matter of law."
Back in August 2021, Nike sued La La Land Production, the California-based manufacturer associated with Geiger and Warren Lotas, for crafting "bootleg" Nike sneakers. Later adding Geiger to the complaint in August, the sneaker figure's lawyers pointed out the differences between the GF-01 and the Air Force 1, citing that Nike's trade dress for the AF1 are not strong enough to be protected.
In its response last week, Nike highlighted that the shoes are nearly identical and that John Geiger actively acknowledges the similarities. "In other words, rather than dispelling any potential confusion, John Geiger himself concedes that the relatedness was the very point of creating the shoe." Adding that "the issue of whether and to what extent consumers recognize the Air Force 1 trade dress in the absence of the Swoosh is a question of fact for the jury and inappropriate to consider on a motion to dismiss."
Nike has also shared documents showing La La Land has "produced significant quantities of multiple styles of the GF-01" sneaker, in response to Geiger distancing himself from the manufacturer by noting that La La Land only produced prototypes of the GF-01 for him and has not been part of any of the further production and sales.
For more footwear news, take a look at Supreme's Vans Fall 2021 collaboration.
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