Canton, Mass.-based Reebok International has a bone to pick with sporting goods rival Nike Inc. On April 3 Reebok filed suit against the Oregon company in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, accusing Nike of infringing its “Collapsible Shoe” patent.

According to the filing, several Nike shoes, including the “Free Trainer” and “Free Trail” models, infringe Reebok's flexible sole technology, which allows consumers to collapse shoes for travel.

“Reebok is a recognized innovator with a commitment to continuous improvement of footwear technology for the benefit of our consumers,” said Diana Wainrib, chief counsel for Reebok in a statement. “We will act to protect our research and development efforts whenever companies try to claim Reebok technology as their own.”

Reebok requested a jury trial and seeks an injunction, compensatory damages, attorneys' fees and treble damages for willful infringement.

Canton, Mass.-based Reebok International has a bone to pick with sporting goods rival Nike Inc. On April 3 Reebok filed suit against the Oregon company in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, accusing Nike of infringing its “Collapsible Shoe” patent.

According to the filing, several Nike shoes, including the “Free Trainer” and “Free Trail” models, infringe Reebok's flexible sole technology, which allows consumers to collapse shoes for travel.

“Reebok is a recognized innovator with a commitment to continuous improvement of footwear technology for the benefit of our consumers,” said Diana Wainrib, chief counsel for Reebok in a statement. “We will act to protect our research and development efforts whenever companies try to claim Reebok technology as their own.”

Reebok requested a jury trial and seeks an injunction, compensatory damages, attorneys' fees and treble damages for willful infringement.