The business of fakes remains a very real issue for The Swoosh.
Nike and its subsidiary brand Converse are suing 589 websites and 676 social media accounts for allegedly infringing on trademarks to sell counterfeit versions of the companies’ apparel and accessories.
“The defendants, who have no affiliation with Nike or Converse, have attempted to capitalize on the popularity of plaintiffs’ marks by manufacturing and marketing counterfeit products falsely labeled as ‘Nike’ or ‘Converse,’” the company wrote.
Nike has been the target of several large-scale counterfeiting incidents in recent years.
- In 2019, an unsealed Homeland Security document revealed that U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized $472 million worth of fake Nike and Louis Vuitton footwear.
- The same year, authorities at L.A./Long Beach Seaport confiscated over 14,000 pairs of counterfeit Air Jordans worth an estimated $2.2 million.
- In 2018, a team of New York-based counterfeiters were caught smuggling more than 300,000 pairs of Air Jordans into the U.S., worth an estimated $73 million.
The sneaker giant has a well-documented history of aggressively defending its trademarks.
And for good reason: according to a 2019 report from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, Nike is the most counterfeited brand in the world.
