Trump’s Sneaker Venture Sues Alleged Copycat Businesses
The company behind former President Donald Trump’s sneaker venture is coming after what it claims is counterfeit activity.
45Footwear LLC., which in February launched Donald Trump’s new line of signature sneakers, filed a lawsuit on Monday in Arizona federal court claiming that a group of undisclosed defendants has offered to sell or has sold counterfeit sneakers that infringe on identifying marks featured on Trump’s sneaker line.
The former president and 2024 Republican presidential nominee introduced his line of signature sneakers in February during Sneaker Con in Philadelphia. The shoes — gold high-tops with a T engraved on the side and an American flag on the back of the upper — were available at $399 for pre-order on a website called Gettrumpsneakers.com. According to the site, only 1,000 pairs were available and “at least 10” were autographed by Trump. Two other styles, the “T-Red Wave” in red, and “Potus 45” in white were also available for pre-order.
“The creation of the sneakers is a recent development,” read the suit. “Nonetheless, dozens of unlicensed counterfeiters are already selling counterfeit sneaker, some of which were recently confiscated by the U.S Customs and Border Protection, Field Operations, Orlando Trade Enforcement Team, from a shipment that initiated in Vietnam.”
The suit also noted that the plaintiff had hired an online fraud investigator prior to filing the suit and discovered “businesses and individuals promoting and selling counterfeit sneakers before any authentic sneakers have even been shipped by the Plaintiff.”
The lawsuit seeks $2 million in damages, which includes $25,000 for each copyright violation, or for the defendants to pay all profits that came from the alleged violations.
When Trump launched the shoes earlier this year, footwear industry leaders noted that it represented an ironic move for the politician who, during his presidency, introduced the burdensome Section 301 tariffs on China that have had a direct negative impact on the footwear industry in the U.S., which largely relies on imports from China. These tariffs have contributed to soaring footwear prices in the U.S. and have hurt American businesses and working class consumers.