The influencer sneaker brand that copied Air Jordans — and owed Nike $1 million

Kool Kiy, operated by BY KIY LLC, was an influencer-driven sneaker brand that sold shoes closely resembling Nike's Air Jordan 1 and Dunk. Like co-defendant Omi in a Hellcat, Kool Kiy replaced the Nike Swoosh with a lightning-bolt motif and marketed the shoes through social media to sneaker enthusiasts. The brand built significant hype, with drops selling out and resale prices climbing on secondary platforms.

In December 2022, Nike named Kool Kiy as a co-defendant alongside Omi in a trademark infringement lawsuit filed in the Southern District of New York (Case 1:23-cv-02431). Nike accused both brands of copying the trade dress of its most iconic sneakers and named their shared Chinese manufacturer Xiamen Wandering Planet as enabling the production.

In May 2024, Kool Kiy agreed to a consent judgment ordering the brand to pay Nike $1 million and submit to a permanent injunction barring the sale of the contested designs. The consent judgment ended the case without a trial — Kool Kiy accepted the penalty rather than fight the claims. The $1 million figure was one-eighth of the $8 million default judgment entered against co-defendant Omi in the same lawsuit.

The case illustrated the risk of building a sneaker brand on the silhouette of a trademarked design. Kool Kiy's social media traction — the engine of its commercial success — was also what attracted Nike's legal attention, turning hype into evidence of willful infringement.