Converse Accuses Wal-Mart, H&M of Selling Knockoff Chucks

Nike's Converse sued Wal-Mart and Hennes & Mauritz (H&M), along with other retailers and shoe importers, accusing them of selling knockoffs of its iconic Chuck Taylor All-Star sneakers. Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, and H&M, Europe's second-biggest clothing chain, sell shoes that are "confusingly similar imitations" of the trademarked All-Star shoes that date back to 1917, Converse said in separate complaints filed in federal court in Brooklyn, New York. The distinctive high-top sneakers were renamed in 1934 for Chuck Taylor, a Converse salesman and basketball player, according to court filings.