Skechers says wins favorable ruling in Nike lawsuit

Shoe maker Skechers Inc said it won a favorable ruling from the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) in a lawsuit filed by Nike Inc unit Converse Inc against the company over Converse's Chuck Taylor sneaker.

Converse sued Skechers in federal district court in Brooklyn, New York and before the ITC in October last year, alleging that Skechers' Twinkle Toes and BOBS shoes were knock-offs of its popular sneakers and infringed on its common-law and federal trademark rights.

Skechers said on Thursday that an International Trade Commission judge had ruled that its product lines do not infringe Converse's design.

The ITC is an independent, quasijudicial federal agency whose responsibilities include investigations on matters of trade and adjudicating cases involving imports that allegedly infringe intellectual property rights.

Skechers shares were up 4.6 percent at $29.18 in early afternoon trading on Thursday.