Nike and 7-Eleven Clash Over Colour Trademark Rights

Nike’s planned Air Max 95 release has become the centre of a trademark dispute after 7-Eleven sued the sportswear company over the shoe’s use of orange, green and red colouring. The convenience store chain claims the design is too close to its signature stripe branding and could lead consumers to believe the sneaker is connected to 7-Eleven.

The case highlights how colour can become a valuable legal asset when it is strongly tied to a brand’s identity. 7-Eleven argues that it has used the colour combination for decades across signage, advertising, merchandise and other products. Its concern is not only that Nike’s shoe resembles its branding, but that the planned release is scheduled for July 11, widely associated with 7-Eleven Day and its Free Slurpee promotion.

That timing strengthens the retailer’s argument that consumers may see the sneaker as an authorised collaboration rather than an independent Nike product. The lawsuit also points to media reports describing the shoe as inspired by 7-Eleven, which could become relevant in assessing whether the design creates confusion or trades on the retailer’s reputation.

Nike has not yet responded publicly to the claim, but the dispute sits within a wider pattern of legal battles over footwear design, brand references and cultural borrowing. Sneaker releases often draw energy from nostalgia, colour codes and unofficial associations, but those same elements can create risk when they overlap with protected brand identifiers.

7-Eleven is seeking to block sales of the shoe, recall distributed products and recover monetary damages and Nike’s profits from the footwear. With the proposed launch date close, the case will test how far courts are willing to protect colour-based branding when it appears on a product outside the brand owner’s core retail business.