The company behind Donald Trump’s line of gold high-top sneakers has filed a lawsuit alleging trademark and copyright infringement against a number of retailers it accuses of marketing and selling knockoff versions of the shoes online.
Attorneys for 45Footwear LLC filed the suit in Arizona on Monday but declined to name the defendants, saying they would do so in a forthcoming filing, according to NBC News. They did say those accused are individuals and businesses based outside of the United States but using websites hosted domestically, who had been traced with the help of a specialist online fraud investigator.
The real Trump has never actually been pictured wearing his signature sneakers, although MAGA congresswoman Lauren Boebert did sport a pair at her victory party in Windsor, Colorado, last week after winning her Republican primary in the state’s 4th congressional district, showing them off to reporters with “pageant queen energy,” according to The Independent’s John Bowden.
However, Boebert did later admit that her pair were fakes, telling a reporter for the Denver-based outlet Westword: “These are very China, but I’m OK with that. If I could’ve bought the OGs I would have.”
In its filing, the sneaker company asked the federal court to prohibit the illicit reproduction, sale, and advertising of replica versions of its shoes and is asking the defendants to turn over “any and all profits” earned from their ventures so far.
Alternatively, the plaintiffs are asking the court to award them $2 million for “each and every use” of their counterfeited mark by each defendant and $25,000 for every copyright violation.
The Republican presidential candidate first unveiled his “Never Surrender” shoes to much fanfare at Sneaker Con in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in February.
He announced that they would be limited to just 1,000 pairs and would retail for $399, although the shoes were selling on eBay and other marketplaces for much more than that within hours of their unveiling.
Trump was actually booed at that event but downplayed the jeers as evidence of “a lot of energy in the room” and said of his latest commercial venture: “This is something that I’ve been talking about for 12 years, 13 years. And I think it’s going to be a big success.”
The shoes, emblazoned with the Stars-and-Stripes at the collar and a “T” for Trump on the side, quickly went viral and were memorably lampooned by James Austin Johnson on NBC’s Saturday Night Live.
Appearing in character as the former president in a pastiche of the basketball movie White Men Can’t Jump (1992), the comedian claimed wearing them could give ordinary people the chance to experience Trump’s superhuman capacity for self-delusion.
Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel also ridiculed Trump over the shoes, branding him “Hair Jordan” and observing that they “look like something you’d wear on a flag day mall walk with Mr T.”
Throughout his career, Trump has put his name on a vast array of products reflecting his glitzy taste. From luxury apartment complexes to steaks, dubious university diplomas, cologne and digital trading cards, he has rarely spotted a commercial opportunity he does not like, but few have enjoyed the instantly iconic status of his gleaming high-tops.