Crocs taking on counterfeits

[goofy!]

I live in Boulder county, home to the guys who invented the Crocs. Don't know if this news made it national yet, but it was all over our local news. Crocs has issued an ultimatum to 11 companies to immediately stop selling knockoffs, that they are infringing on the Crocs patent.

You can watch the video on www.9news.com
go to the business section and then click on today's videos

Guess if you want knockoffs - you probably should buy them now

 

[CathrynRose]

Dont know how far this will make it.

Im not an expert on patents, but they "knock off" anything they can get their little paws on....everything is knocked off, now - a - days.

On that note... Im going to Payless to pick up a tye-die pair tonight...just in case. Im a sucker for a shoe that looks like an easter egg.... http://search.ebay.com/search/searc...&fkr=1&from=R8&satitle=airwalk+tie&category0=

 

[dizagain]

Cool!! Actually, if I thought the knock-offs were comfortable I would probably be purchasing them, but since I don't like them at all, I think it's great. Just yesterday, the Crocs I ordered for DD came in while her friend was over. She couldn't decide if she liked the size and definitely doesn't like the next size up so we were debating on keeping them. Her friend told her to go to Walmart to get some "Crocs" or Payless. I felt bad, but DD got this horrified look on her face and told her that "those shoes are NOT Crocs, they're fake". The friend was surprised, I think, to learn that...her mom had told her they were Crocs!

 

[MAKmom]

Dont know how far this will make it.

Im not an expert on patents, but they "knock off" anything they can get their little paws on....everything is knocked off, now - a - days.

http://search.ebay.com/search/searc...&fkr=1&from=R8&satitle=airwalk+tie&category0=

Most of the things you think of as a knockoff does not have a patent. Hand bags & cloths for example. They may win.

DuPont Patent expiered 2 years ago for Corian Counter Tops thats why the price has dropped so much. They have other Solid Service tops to compete with.

I bought my first pair for myself this week. What the heck am I going to do with all my Birkenstocks now!

 

[lucas]

On that note... Im going to Payless to pick up a tye-die pair tonight...just in case. Im a sucker for a shoe that looks like an easter egg.... http://search.ebay.com/search/searc...&fkr=1&from=R8&satitle=airwalk+tie&category0=

Too cute! I've never seen the multi-colored ones.

 

[tiff211]

Dont know how far this will make it.

Im not an expert on patents, but they "knock off" anything they can get their little paws on....everything is knocked off, now - a - days.

On that note... Im going to Payless to pick up a tye-die pair tonight...just in case. Im a sucker for a shoe that looks like an easter egg.... http://search.ebay.com/search/searc...&fkr=1&from=R8&satitle=airwalk+tie&category0=

Why are they going for so much on Ebay, I bought DD a pair right at Payless and I saw them online also!

 

[CathrynRose]

Why are they going for so much on Ebay, I bought DD a pair right at Payless and I saw them online also!

I dunno.... i was just looking for a picture of the tie-dye easter egg shoes.

 

[goofy!]

Here is their press release. BTW - they just went public - CROX on Nasdaq.

Crocs, Inc. Awarded Multiple Patents for Utility and Design of Footwear Products; Company Files Actions in the U.S. International Trade Commission and U.S. District Court Against 11 Companies to Protect Intellectual Property
BUSINESS WIRE

NIWOT, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)----Crocs, Inc. (NASDAQ: CROX) today announced it has received four patents covering various aspects of its footwear. The patents, which cover utility aspects applicable to a number of its footwear models and design elements of its Beach(TM), Cayman, Nile(TM) and Highland(TM) models, were recently issued by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Crocs's U.S. Patent No. 6,993,858 B2 issued on February 7, 2006, and U.S. Patent Nos. D517,788, D517,789 and D517,790 issued on March 28, 2006. Crocs has also filed additional design patents applications for a number of its other footwear models.

The Company also announced that it has filed complaints with the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) and the U.S. Federal District Court against 11 companies that manufacture, import or distribute products that Crocs believes infringe U.S. Patent Nos. 6,993,858 and D517,789, as well as Crocs's distinctive trade dress . Crocs's ITC complaint seeks a permanent exclusion order to prohibit all future importation of infringing goods, as well as cease and desist orders to prohibit the sale of infringing goods already present in the United States. The U.S. District Court complaint, which was filed in Denver, Colorado, seeks a permanent injunction against infringement as well as monetary damages.

Ron Snyder, CEO of Crocs, stated "We are very pleased to have the unique qualities of our footwear recognized by the issuance of these patents. We take great pride in the design and construction of our products and receipt of these patents demonstrates the level of innovation we have applied to our footwear. We also take very seriously our responsibility to protect this intellectual property. Although consumers have clearly demonstrated their desire for the genuine Crocs brand, it is incumbent upon us to fully protect our intellectual property and we will do so in every appropriate instance where we believe our intellectual property is being infringed."

In addition to the four patents announced today (and other pending U.S. applications), Crocs has either received or applied for patent protection covering a variety of its models in other regions of the world, including the European Union, Asia, South America, Australia and Canada.

About Crocs, Inc.
Crocs, Inc. is a rapidly growing designer, manufacturer and marketer of footwear for men, women and children under the crocs brand. All of our footwear products incorporate our proprietary closed-cell resin material, which we believe represents a substantial innovation in footwear comfort and functionality. Our proprietary closed-cell resin, which we refer to as Croslite(TM), enables us to produce a soft and lightweight, non-marking, slip- and odor-resistant shoe. These unique properties make crocs footwear ideal for casual wear, as well as for recreational uses such as boating, hiking, fishing and gardening, and have enabled us to successfully market our products to a broad range of consumers. crocs come in a wide array of colors and styles are sold in more than 6,500 North American retail locations and at our e-tailing website, www.CROCS.com.

Forward Looking Statements
The matters regarding the future discussed in this news release include forward-looking statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performances or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. This news release contains forward-looking statements relating to the Company's reporting of the recent issuance of certain patents in the United States, the Company's patent activities in countries outside the U.S. and certain legal proceedings recently commenced by the Company with respect to its intellectual property. Successfully obtaining and enforcing intellectual property rights for our products may be subject to significant difficulties and uncertainties. The Company, therefore, cautions investors not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements contained in this release.

Additional risks and uncertainties relating to the Company include, but are not limited to, the following: our limited operating history; our significant recent expansion; changing fashion trends; our reliance on market acceptance of the small number of products we sell; our ability to develop and sell new products; our limited manufacturing capacity and distribution channels; our reliance on third party manufacturing and logistics providers for the production and distribution of our products; our reliance on a single-source supply for certain raw materials; our management and information systems infrastructure; our ability to obtain and protect intellectual property rights; the effect of competition in our industry; the potential effects of seasonality on our sales; our ability to attract, assimilate and retain management talent; and other factors described in the "Risk Factors" section of Crocs' annual report on Form 10-K. Readers are encouraged to review that section and all other disclosures appearing in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Crocs, Inc. Caryn Ellison/Chief Financial Officer Tia Williams Mattson/Public Relations Manager 303-468-4260 or Investor/Media Contact: Integrated Corporate Relations, Inc. Investors: Chad Jacobs/Brendon Frey Media: Michael Fox 203-682-8200.