Vans is not letting Walmart off the hook in their blatant copying of Vans shoes (see the images above), according to a story on The Fashion Law. Vans filed a suit last year against Walmart’s rather obvious design borrowing, however, Walmart apparently complained that Vans “waited too long” to file suit. Vans believes “a preliminary injunction to block Walmart from continuing to sell “copycat” versions of “virtually all of [its] bestselling shoes” is necessary.” Can’t really blame them.
Vans has since lodged its reply to Walmart’s memo in opposition, taking issue with Walmart’s arguments, including the retailer’s claims that Vans lacks robust trademark rights, primarily for its OLD SKOOL sneaker. Looking specifically to the OLD SKOOL mark, Vans states that “based on longstanding use dating back more than 40 years, substantial sales and advertising, unsolicited media references, popular culture usage, and intentional copying by Walmart, Vans is likely to succeed in demonstrating that the OLD SKOOL trade dress has acquired secondary meaning.” In terms of sales, Vans says that it has generated “$10 billion in lifetime sales and current revenue of over $1 billion each year in U.S. sales of shoes bearing the OLD SKOOL trade dress.”
This entire case is just another example of how suspect Walmart’s entire business model really is. And we’re stoked that Vans is taking it to them full press. Click the link for the rest of the story.
Selema Masekela tells the story behind the Afrosurf book project and work on the afrocentric surf brand Mami Wata with Danny Agnew at Inside Hook.
It’s interesting to have a passion for a thing like surfing or snowboarding that affects you, and it’s your place to express yourself and to find peace, and also have to constantly be dealing with people looking at you strangely or wanting to comment that you’re even there in the room. Or dealing with the micro and less micro aggressions towards you even being there in the first place. And then nothing to back up your presence in any of the storytelling around the thing that you love the most. So I always dreamt of being able to build a brand that story told it from another perspective.
It’s a great look into the interface between action sports, culture, and following your heart. Click the link for the rest of the interview.
After 18 years and introducing over 6,000 kids from historically forgotten communities to action sports STOKED founder Steve Larosiliere is stepping down as president and moving to a new role on the organization’s board of directors. The new president is Dr. Patricia Charlemagne.
[Charlemagne] is a seasoned nonprofit executive with an amazing track record. She’s also an attorney and just received her doctorate in education and organization leadership from the University of Pennsylvania.
The BBC questioned Burton Snowboards China CEO Craig Smith on why the company continues doing business in Xinjiang, China in spite of reports of human rights violations a.k.a. genocide in the region.
Human rights groups believe China has detained more than one million members of the Uyghur minority community against their will over the past few years in a large network of what the state calls “re-education camps”, and sentenced hundreds of thousands to prison terms.
Obviously, China is big business and that is the reason Burton, Tesla, and Intel and many other global brands are there. For his part Smith said that human rights are not his area of “expertise.” A nervous, stumbling interview for Smith and a serious problem for Burton and many other companies as well. But profits do come first. It’s only business afterall.
Smith has added 21-year-old Australia big air and slopestyle snowboard pro Tess Coady to their global snow team.
“Tess brings a truly unique style, personality, and flare to snowboarding that keeps us on the edge of our seats before she drops into each run. This x-factor mixed with her pure love for the sport is infectious. We’re thrilled to introduce Tess as a member of the global SMITH team and proud to have her passion and talent representing female athletes in Australia and around the world” said Thomas Edgar, SMITH Marketing Manager, Australia.
For all the official details from Smith, please follow the jump.
A Shoc, the energy drink company backed by Keurig Dr Pepper Inc., has just signed a $15 million sponsorship deal with Thrill One, the Costa Mesa, California owners of Street League Skateboarding (among other action sporting assets), according to story in the Financial Post.
The two-year agreement is worth as much as $15 million and will let Thrill One invest in live events, locker rooms and media production. As part of the arrangement, A Shoc will be featured throughout Thrill One’s various assets, which include Street League Skateboarding, Nitro Circus daredevil action sports shows, Nitro Rallycross and a production house.. . . “It’s going to be a game changer for our existing properties and will level them up,” said Thrill One Chief Executive Officer Joe Carr. “We’re going to be creating a lot more content throughout the year.”
A Shoc promotes its caffeine delivery liquid as a natural energy drink designed for performance enhancement with no sugar added.
The history of Grindline Skateparks is something every self-respecting skateboarder should know. Thankfully, Thrasher Magazine has made it easy for all of us with Grindland.
“Grindland – Red, Monk and the Birth of DIY” is the story of Mark Scott and Mark Hubbard, two visionary skaters from the Pacific Northwest who, along with dedicated friends, kickstarted the modern DIY/concrete skatepark revolution. From the early days of Burnside to 2019’s Rip Ride Rally, this film explores the friendship, struggle, triumph and tragedy of true iconoclasts, hellbent on building the skateparks of their dreams.
Great work by Michael Burnett and Matt Bublitz. Enjoy!
Gotta give Emerald credit. They’re definitely doing all they can to get people to their Outdoor Retailer Snow Show in Denver January 26-28, 2022 (a.k.a. the peak of the Omicron wave).
OR and the Board Retailers Association are reportedly giving away three nights free lodging in a convention center adjacent hotel room if you are a member of BRA and were planning on going to Denver, but cancelled because it was too expensive. Here’s the official word:
Were you planning to go to the OR-Snow Show January 26-28 but don’t have enough funds to pull it off? BOARD RETAILERS ASSOCIATION AND OUTDOOR RETAILER ARE OFFERING “SCHOLARSHIPS” TO HELP YOU AFFORD A TRIP TO DENVER FOR THE SHOW! As a BRA Member you can qualify for 3 complimentary nights at hotels near the Convention Center at the Outdoor Retailer Snow Show. Over $600.00 value! Email doug@boardretailers.org to confirm that you qualify and are added to the recipient list.
Not sure that would do it for us, but if you’d like to go, please hit them up. We’re still waiting for the winter show to move back to Las Vegas where it belongs!
Volcom has decided to ante-up and purchase the rights to outfit the 2022 US Olympic Snowboarding Team.
“The Volcom team is honored to be the official uniform provider for the U.S. Snowboard Team and provide for world-class athletes on snowboarding’s biggest global stage,” said Ryan Immegart, CMO of Volcom and Liberated Brands. “Volcom was the first brand to combine the cultures of surfing, snowboarding, skateboarding, music and art and the original pioneer of the action sports industry. Thirty years later, Volcom’s ‘True To This’ spirit comes to life through these uniquely designed uniforms created exclusively for some of the world’s greatest snowboarders.”
A little OG VeeCo 90s punk patterned power suits with knees patches? Volcom really does mean business. Click play for the entire announcement. How do you think they look? Leave a comment.
It’s a New Year. Time to bury those old habits, get out the list, and start working toward the new you in 2022. Or, just grab another Indian Summer Latte and scroll through this list of stories that you should have read last year. We’d put them in order of importance, but that would take way too much time and it would eliminate the joy you’ll find discovering a story you didn’t know you wanted to read. Take it away.
Smith has added 21-year-old Australia big air and slopestyle snowboard pro Tess Coady to their global snow team.
A Shoc, the energy drink company backed by Keurig Dr Pepper Inc., has just signed a $15 million sponsorship deal with 
Gotta give 
