**Dad shoes: New Balance and Golden Goose at loggerheads over silhouette**
**By Godfrey Deeny**
**20 September 2022**
**Exclusive**
A silhouette used by New Balance and Golden Goose on two of their most popular ‘dad shoe’ modèles is at the heart of a bitter intellectual property dispute set to go to court in Boston, Massachusetts, next month.
Lawyers for New Balance filed suit against Golden Goose at the US District Court for the District of Massachusetts in May, alleging that the Italian label’s ‘Dad-Star’ shoe infringed the US brand’s registered design trademark for its ‘990’ sneaker, which was first sold in 1982.
A lawyer for New Balance declined to comment. Lawyers for Golden Goose did not respond to a request for comment.
The lawsuit is the latest in a string of recent high-profile intellectual property cases involving sneakers, as labels seek to protect their signature designs amid the ongoing boom in the retro-inspired ‘ugly shoe’ trend.
In June, Nike won $2.5 million in damages from Skechers in a copyright infringement lawsuit over the ‘chunky’ silhouette of its Air Max 97 sneaker. Last month, Asics filed suit against Skechers over the use of a similar chunky silhouette on Skechers’ ‘Alpha-Edge’ shoe.
The New Balance-Golden Goose case is particularly striking because the two companies have a long history of collaboration. In 2018, they released a limited-edition ‘dad shoe’ sneaker together.
The silhouette at the heart of the dispute is characterized by a chunky, retro-inspired shape, with a large, exaggerated sole and a bulky upper.
New Balance alleges in its lawsuit that Golden Goose’s ‘Dad-Star’ shoe is .
