Danner Boot v. rag & bone's "Danner Combat Boot"

They say imitation is the biggest form of flattery. However, when that imitation poses a threat to the bottom line … well, we all know what comes next.

A lawsuit, of course!

According to WWD, Danner Inc. has filed a lawsuit against rag & bone over the New York-based label’s “Danner Combat Boots by rag & bone.” Obviously, they weren’t shy about who inspired their black lace-up, combat-style boot, which is carried by Barney’s New York and Saks Fifth Avenue reports New York Magazine. Above is a side-by-side comparison of the two boots, the original Danner boot on the right and rag & bone’s version on the left.

In addition to the rag & bone suit, Danner is also suing Acadia Footwear, a Portland boutique, for name infringement. Danner’s trademarked Acadia boots were developed more than 25 years ago.

Other noteworthy ‘shoe suits’:

• Balenciaga v. Steve Madden – Selling “inspired-by” shoes for just pennies compared to the originals, Steve Madden’s blatant imitation brought on a suit from Spanish designer Balenciaga.
• Alexander McQueen v. Steve Madden – At it again, Steve Madden was named in another late 2009 suit claiming that the New York-based footwear designer copied Alexander McQueen’s trademarked zipper.
• Nike v. Chinese Shoemakers – Nike won a 2007 lawsuit against Chinese shoemakers that were using the Air Jordan logo on athletic shoes not produced by Nike.
• Adidas v. Topline – Even though Topline’s white shoes had one more and one less stripe than Adidas’ three-stripe Superstar sneaker, that didn’t stop Adidas from suing for infringement.
• Gwyneth Shoes v. Paris Hilton – One of the latest ‘shoe suits’ is over insoles. That’s right: Insoles, the part of the shoe you can’t even see! Gwyneth Shoes is claiming that Paris Hilton’s footwear line stole its heart-shaped insole.

(Image via NyMag.com)