New Balance sues Decathlon in U.S. court over alleged Kiprun logo copy

New Balance, headquartered in Boston, initiated legal proceedings in a Massachusetts federal court, claiming that Decathlon’s Kiprun running shoe infringes on its registered “N” logo. According to the filing, the French retailer’s inverted “K” on the shoe’s side is “indistinguishable” from New Balance’s iconic letter, violating trademark rights and diluting the brand’s distinctiveness. The complaint, submitted on Thursday, asks the court to halt the alleged infringement and award monetary compensation for damages.

New Balance asserts that it has exclusively employed the “N” on its products since the 1970s and has spent hundreds of millions promoting the mark as a core asset. The lawsuit adds to a pattern of New Balance’s recent trademark enforcement actions, which previously targeted Michael Kors and Nautica. Decathlon has not yet responded publicly.