Nike Is Suing a Former Design Director and Ralph Lauren Corporation

Nike filed the claim this week over a non-competition agreement.

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Complex Original

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A former Nike designer and his new employer, Ralph Lauren Corporation, are the new targets of a lawsuit filed by Nike over a non-competition agreement.

The sportswear giant filed a claim on Monday night against the company and Matthew Millward, a former senior design director at Nike who oversaw the design of Nike Sportswear apparel. Millward worked at Nike from 2012 until October of this year, before taking a position as the vice president for men's design at Ralph Lauren Corporation's Club Monaco brand. According to the legal documents, this was a direct violation of his contract, which stated that he couldn't compete with Nike for one year following the termination of his employment.

"The design of, the same types of apparel that he worked on during his employment with Nike; Club Monaco’s line of activewear competes directly with NSW products. Despite notice from Nike, both Millward and RLC have chosen to continue violating Nike’s legal rights. Accordingly, to protect its trade secrets and other confidential and proprietary information, Nike has no choice but to bring this action," the document states.

Comparisons between the competitors' products are further pointed out through side-by-side photos. Nike also states that the information shared with Millward "is a core Nike asset of immeasurable value, and its strict confidentiality is critical to Nike's continuing success in the marketplace.” Millward played a key role in developing Nike's sportswear along with its ACG collection and the 2016 Olympic "Medal Stand" jacket, which have yet to be released. Nike believes that if he shares its confidential trade secrets with RLC, it could be detrimental to its business.

Nike recently settled a similar lawsuit against three former designers who started working for adidas. 

Ralph Lauren Corporation declined to comment. We've also reached out to Nike, and will update with more information. 

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