Reebok has settled a legal dispute with Italian shoemaker Autry USA LLC which it claimed had ripped off several of the sportswear company’s trademarks.

Reebok had originally sued Autry back in May 2023 accusing Autry of selling “high-priced knockoffs” of its trainers by infringing on its Box, Crosscheck, and Stripecheck marks. Autry reportedly used a United States flag in the window box design instead of the Union Jack that is used in Reebok designs. Since Autry is based in Italy and manufactures its shoes in Asia, Reebok claimed that this was done to trick customers into believing the shoes were made in the USA. The similar, red, white, and blue United States flag was, according to the lawsuit, ‘confusingly similar.’

The lawsuit alleged that Autry had“intentionally and deliberately” targeted the same and/or similar consumers and prospective consumers as Reebok by selling its shoes in direct competition with Reebok through the same and/or similar channels of trade. Autry was accused of purchasing advertisements targeted directly at the social media accounts and websites visited by consumers and potential consumers of Reebok’s shoes.

In response, Autry claimed that Reebok did not own rights for these marks and that other companies have used similar marks for decades.

Autry was originally established in Dallas, Texas by Jim Autry back in 1982. The label grew quickly, becoming one of the leading sportswear brands in North America. However, following Jim Autry’s death in 2009, the brand faded into obscurity. In 2019 Italian entrepreneurs Alberto Raengo, Gino Zarelli and Marco Doro revived the brand with the relaunch of the award-winning ‘Medalist Shoe.’ Its designs are now sold by multiple high end retailers including Saks of Fifth Avenue and Net-A-Porter.

The settlement brings to an end a particularly contentious legal battle which saw the disqualification of Autry’s original counsel for having previously represented Reebok in similar matters in Europe.