Forever 21 settles with Minnesota inventor over boot hangers lawsuit

Forever 21, a national chain of clothing retailers, recently settled an intellectual property lawsuit filed by a Minneapolis-based inventor who claimed that the company was using one of her patented products without permission.

In March, Lindsay Sokolowski, a lawyer and owner of Boottique Inc., accused Forever 21 of misusing the Boot Hanger, which she invented in 2007. According to an article in the Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal, the Boot Hanger is a metal device with a top that is shaped like that of a shirt hanger. The bottom, however, contains two clips that hold each boot in place. With this device, boots can be hung on racks and in closets along with other articles of clothing.

Sokolowski discovered that Forever 21 was using her invention when an employee texted her with a picture of the hanger, congratulating her on getting her product used in a large store.

"My heart hit the floor because we didn't sell it to them," she told the news source. "It was devastating and at the same time [made me] angry."

She sought for Forever 21 to buy her hangers rather than use the knockoffs. Though few details have been provided about how the case was resolved, Sokolowski has since dropped the case.

This is not the first time Forever 21 has faced accusations of intellectual property infringement. In April 2009, the retailer faced a lawsuit from Anthropologie.

Inventors and small businesses must protect their patented products from larger companies. Intellectual property protection is an area in which a Phoenix business attorney can help.

Categorised in: Intellectual Property Law

This post was written by