Art Basel filed a complaint against athletic-giant Adidas earlier this week, over sneakers depicting the Art Basel mark.
Adidas debuted the limited-edition sneakers during the famous Miami-based event last year, stitching ‘Art Basel’ beneath the Adidas logo on the tongue of the white EQT style shoe. Art Basel claims that Adidas never had permission to use the fair’s name in its product.
According to a Miami Herald report, Art Basel wrote in the suit that Adidas “deliberately misrepresents an association, show partner, sponsorship or other affiliation.” Art Basel brings the lawsuit to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
“The infringing sneakers have been, and continue to be, offered for sale and sold on eBay,” Art Basel’s Miami lawyer, Joseph Englander, wrote in the lawsuit. The lawsuit wants to force Adidas to stop using the Art Basel name as well as to destroy all remaining shoes, and to pay damages for ‘diluting’ the trademark.