New Balance controversies
Controversies tied to this brand in public sources. A listing is not a finding of fault.
Back to profile3 entries
2020
New Balance sued over Vision Racer collaboration
Lawsuit filed
Authentic Brands Group filed a lawsuit against New Balance seeking $2 million, alleging copyright infringement and counterfeiting in connection with the Vision Racer collaboration. The complaint claimed that footwear bore designs and symbols confusingly similar to Vision trademarks. The available source does not state the filing date of the lawsuit.
Authentic Brands Group sued New Balance for $2 million, alleging copyright infringement and counterfeiting involving the Vision Racer collaboration and claiming that footwear bore designs and symbols confusingly similar to Vision trademarks. The source does not state the filing date.
Source excerpt
The Boston-based sportswear brand is being sued for $2 million by Authentic Brands Group, LLC, the parent company of Vision Street Wear, the cult streetwear brand. ABG is coming for New Balance, and it’s recent “Vision Racer” collaboration with the “icon living” Jaden Smith for copyright infringement and counterfeiting.
ABG alleges in its complaint that New Balance pushed and sold kicks that “bear designs and symbols that are substantially and confusingly similar to” its Vision trademarks.
New Balance has filed in the United States District Court District Of Massachusetts charging Michael Kors infringed on the shoe brand’s trademarks.a lawsuit
2016
Court orders New Balance Lingpao companies to stop unfair competition
Ruling
A Beijing court found that marks used on products by the New Balance Lingpao defendants were substantially similar to the bold “N” used on New Balance shoes and could confuse consumers about product origin. It ordered two defendant companies to stop the conduct and jointly pay New Balance 1 million yuan in economic losses and 100,000 yuan in reasonable litigation expenses.
Source excerpt
法院查明后认为，现被告新百伦领跑涉案产品及微信公众号展示的鞋产品上使用的“N”标识与New Balance运动鞋两侧使用的大写粗体“N”字母在字形形态等基本一致，易造成消费者对商品来源产生混淆误认，构成擅自使用知名商品特有装潢的不正当竞争行为。
本案裁判结果为，被告江西新百伦领跑体育用品有限公司、广州新百伦领跑鞋业有限公司立即停止涉案擅自使用原告新百伦公司New Balance运动鞋商品特有装潢的不正当竞争行为；共同赔偿原告经济损失100万元及因诉讼支出的合理费用10万元等。
2011
Toning-footwear false-advertising litigation
A class-action lawsuit alleged that New Balance’s toning footwear was marketed with unsubstantiated claims about increasing exercise intensity, calorie expenditure, muscle strength, and muscle tone. The claims referenced research that found no statistically significant advantages over ordinary footwear.