The adidas Iniki Runner was introduced in February of this year as the silhouette that was supposed to combine the past and future of adidas Originals design – and it did.

Featuring a heel-to-toe boost midsole, and drawing inspiration from ’70s running culture with an upper that blends designs from the sportswear giant’s archives, the Iniki Runner really was the best of both worlds.

Then in November, adidas quietly announced that the Iniki Runner would still be produced, however, it would be under a new name: the i-5923 silhouette. According to the brand with three stripes, the new name was taken from an article in its archives.

No further reason for the sudden name change was given, however, according to notorious leakers online, adidas were forced to abandon the iniki name due to a lawsuit that was filed against the sportswear company.

Reports allege, that while adidas did file for a patent for “Iniki” in February, that filing was abandoned in May due to someone else holding the rights to the name.

A quick google search shows what looks to be an abandoned trademark for Iniki, which can’t definitively be attributed to adidas. However, the timeline on the site fits when the sportswear brand filed and reportedly abandoned the trademark.

Another uncertainty is what the Iniki trademark is protecting and who decided to (if at all) sue adidas.

Highsnobiety reached out to the lawyer on file, believed to be the one that handled the filing of the trademark, however, he was not immediately available for comment.

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