Lawsuit: Columbia Sportswear's "Omni-Heat Electric" Clothing Line Misappropriated From Inventor

EUGENE, Ore., March 27, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- A lawsuit filed today in Lane County Circuit Court alleges that Oregon based Columbia Sportswear Company, as well as two Washington companies, The Allyn Group and NCS Power, breached non-disclosure agreements and misappropriated numerous trade secretes from a local Eugene based company, the Plaintiff Innovative Sports, Inc.  According to the complaint, Innovative Sports developed and brought to market heated clothing and wearable electronics, designing products such as heated jackets and its unique "Heater" pitching sleeve, utilized by professional and collegiate athletes. 

The lawsuit specifically claims that Innovative Sports designed and developed technology for heated clothing and disclosed those designs to Columbia Sportswear and NCS Power through confidential meetings and business relationships covered by non-disclosure agreements.  Following those meetings, the lawsuit alleges, the Defendants, including Columbia Sportswear, abruptly terminated the prospective or ongoing business relationships, and then breached the non-disclosure agreements by either sharing the technology with third parties, or in the case of Columbia Sportswear, producing heated products incorporating Innovative Sports's technology through the misappropriation of its trade secrets.  While the conduct underlying the lawsuit spans over a several year period, the lawsuit implicates Columbia Sportswear's currently available "Omni-Heat Electric" line of heated clothing as well a now discontinued line of heated jackets released in 2009.

The six-count complaint seeks monetary damages for among other claims, breach of contract and misappropriation of trade secrets, as well as injunctive relief seeking to stop Columbia Sportswear from producing heated sportswear.     

About Innovative Sports:  "Innovative Sports has been the leader in the creation and development of safe and functional heated clothing for nearly a decade, and has been trusted by professional athletes and the United States military to produce unique and reliable products." 

About Edelson McGuire:  Edelson McGuire is a national law firm focusing on plaintiff's class action litigation and providing strategic and legal advice to start-ups.  Its attorneys have testified before the United States Senate on class action issues and have been asked to work on federal and state legislation and policy issues involving banking, cellular telephony and consumer privacy.  Their plaintiffs'-side cases and settlements have been collectively valued over one billion dollars and have changed the consumer protection policies of numerous industries. More information on the firm can be found at www.edelson.com.             

SOURCE Edelson McGuire, LLC