Nike Receives $11 Million in Counterfeit Suit Against Divide The Youth

Nike’s legal dispute against clothing label Divide The Youth and its founder and social media influencer, Nicholas Tuinenburg, has reached a verdict.

In a ruling this month by the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, the jury found Tuinenberg and Divide The Youth liable for counterfeiting and infringement of several Nike trademarks.

Nike originally filed the suit against Divide The Youth and Tuinenberg in December 2023, alleging that Tuinenberg operated several online platforms that promoted the sale of counterfeit Nike sneakers. The filing included an example of the illegitimate Nike shoe, which appears in the image above, compared to an official product.

In this case, Nike argued that Divide The Youth’s “Division Dunks” copied design elements of its Dunk Low silhouette and was likely to cause confusion for consumers. The defendants highlighted both sneakers’ branding differences, specifically the star logo on the sides of the “Division Dunks” instead of Nike’s iconic Swoosh.

Instead of the $18 million in damages that Nike was seeking, the jury awarded the brand $8 million in statutory damages and $3 million in punitive damages, which totaled $11 million.