Skechers claims partial victory in UPC patent dispute over hands-free shoes

Munich court ruling reportedly found infringement by certain Skechers footwear, while the company says most challenged styles escaped liability.

Skechers has claimed a major legal victory in a European patent dispute over hands-free footwear, arguing that a Munich court rejected infringement claims concerning three of four challenged shoe styles. However, Kizik’s parent company, HandsFree Labs, says the ruling also found infringement and ordered certain products removed from the market.

The dispute was brought by Fast IP LLC, an intellectual property affiliate associated with Kizik, and concerns technology designed to allow wearers to slip into shoes without using their hands to adjust the heel. The case was heard by the Munich Local Division of the Unified Patent Court (UPC).

In an announcement distributed through Business Wire on October 21, Skechers described the outcome as a major legal and commercial victory. The company said the court considered the infringement claims largely unfounded and that three of the four challenged shoe styles were not found to infringe. Skechers characterized the remaining style as commercially insignificant to its business.

HandsFree Labs offered a different interpretation of the October 16 decision. In a statement issued through PR Newswire on October 19, the company described the ruling as a victory for its patented technology, saying the court found that certain Skechers hands-free shoes infringed its patent and ordered the affected products removed from the market across the UPC territory.

The competing announcements highlight the distinction between the limited scope of the infringement finding, as described by Skechers, and the remedies reportedly granted to HandsFree Labs.

Patent dispute centers on rapid-entry footwear

The European proceedings concern European patent EP 4 003 084 B1, titled Rapid-entry footwear having a stabilizer and an elastic element. The patent relates to footwear technology intended to make entering a shoe easier through a combination of a heel stabilizer and an elastic element. The dispute centers on whether particular Skechers hands-free shoe designs fall within the patent’s protected scope.

According to Inc., which reported on a copy of the decision, the court found that certain Skechers step-in shoes infringed the patent while rejecting claims against other challenged styles.

HandsFree Labs also said the court rejected Skechers’ challenge to the patent’s validity. The precise findings on validity, infringement, and the scope of the injunction should be read alongside the court’s judgment.

For Skechers, the outcome means that the infringement finding reportedly covers only part of the footwear challenged in the proceedings. For HandsFree Labs, the ruling provides a basis for enforcing its patent rights against products found to infringe.

The decision reportedly applies across the 18 European Union member states participating in the UPC system.

Implications for footwear brands

The dispute highlights the intellectual property risks facing consumer brands competing in technology-driven product categories. Features that appear to consumers to be straightforward design conveniences can incorporate patented mechanisms, potentially exposing manufacturers to infringement claims across multiple European markets.

For footwear companies, the case illustrates the importance of assessing patent exposure at both the product-design and portfolio levels. A ruling against particular configurations does not necessarily establish that an entire product range infringes, while a favorable outcome on several challenged products does not eliminate the risk associated with other designs.

The litigation also extends beyond Europe. HandsFree Labs, Fast IP, and Kizik brought separate patent-infringement proceedings against Skechers in the United States in July 2025. The US case concerns additional patents and is separate from the UPC proceedings. The US litigation was subsequently transferred from the Eastern District of Texas to the Central District of California.

The European ruling may influence the wider dispute over the parties’ respective rights in hands-free footwear technology, although the UPC’s findings do not determine the outcome of the US proceedings.

The precise scope of the European court’s order, including the affected products and any additional remedies, should be confirmed against the published judgment before the article is finalized.

Sources: Skechers, “Skechers Wins Major Victory Against Kizik in Patent Infringement Suit,” October 21, 2026; HandsFree Labs, “HandsFree Labs Gets a Win in European Patent Case Against Skechers; Court Orders Removal of Infringing Shoes,” October 19, 2026; Inc., “Kizik Parent Company Scores a Limited Legal Victory Against Skechers in Europe Over Hands-Free Shoe Patents,” October 16, 2026, updated October 19, 2026.

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