StockX, one of the largest sneaker resale platforms, has been found liable for selling counterfeit Nike shoes, marking a major victory for the sportswear giant in its ongoing legal battle. Following oral arguments in a New York federal court on Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Valerie Caproni ruled against StockX on key counterfeiting allegations and ordered both companies to coordinate trial dates for the remaining claims this year.
The decision marks a pivotal moment in Nike’s aggressive pursuit to protect its brand, as it seeks to hold StockX accountable for allegedly deceiving customers with fake footwear while claiming rigorous authentication standards.
Nike Presses for Counterfeiting and False Advertising Judgment
Nike had asked the court for a summary judgment, arguing that StockX was willfully engaged in counterfeiting and false advertising. While Judge Caproni did not grant Nike’s request in full, she did rule in favor of the company on counterfeiting allegations related to four pairs of fake sneakers sold to Nike investigators and 33 additional pairs sold to an undisclosed individual.
Nike initially identified 77 counterfeit pairs in a filing last November, asserting that StockX had effectively admitted liability for 34 of them.
“StockX does not dispute the validity of Nike’s trademarks,” Nike stated in its filing. “Nor does it dispute that the 77 counterfeit pairs bearing those marks asserted in Nike’s Motion are likely to cause confusion or that it offered for sale, ‘authenticated,’ and distributed the 77 counterfeit pairs bearing those marks to consumers.”
Nike also claims that StockX misled customers by using unauthorized images of Nike sneakers in its controversial NFT collection, falsely implying an association with the brand.
