Vibram sues to protect FiveFingers shoe patent

By Chris Reidy, Globe Staff

Vibram S.p.A., an Italian footwear company with a presence in Concord, said it has filed a lawsuit against rival Fila USA that alleges that Fila’s “Skele-toes” footwear infringes on US patents that cover Vibram’s FiveFingers shoes.

Fila USA responded that Vibram’s lawsuit is without merit.

Filed in the US District Court in Massachusetts, the lawsuit focuses on so-called minimalist shoes --- that is, shoes with articulated toes that look like gloves for feet.

“Vibram pioneered the minimalist footwear category,” Vibram USA president Tony Post in a statement included in a company press release.

Post added: “Vibram innovated the technology and earned the patents. With our success, copyists and counterfeiters have come out of the woodwork.”

In an e-mail response, Fila USA noted that its Skele-toes line launched earlier this year after the company determined that Vibram’s patents were not infringed upon.

Fila “has reviewed the allegations in Vibram’s complaint and has determined that they are without merit,” Fila wrote in an email to the Globe. “Fila intends to vigorously defend itself against these claims.”