Sneaker reselling is an estimated $2 billion business. Getting the sneaker before anyone else is the name of the game and then reselling it on a site like StockX.com. StockX is the leader in the field and is a billion-dollar business.
Nike has brought two suits against two unrelated resellers for trademark infringement in connection with reselling Nike and Converse products that had been altered. One defendant was Customs By Ilene d/b/a Drip Creationz and the other defendant was Jeffrey Waskowiak and his company, KickRich LLC
Jeffrey Waskowiak is a former Nike employee and his company KickRich made footwear products that combined Nike shoe soles with uppers manufactured by Waskowiak but included design elements of Nike.
The altered sneakers were the Air Jordan 1, Air Force 1 and Converse’s Chuck Taylor All Star. The plaintiff’s argument was that in combining non-genuine parts or other brands’ logos the sneakers could no longer be considered Nike or Converse shoes.