It may be the only shoe in your closet that your grandfather recognizes.
20TH CENTURY FOX / "IROBOT": "Converse All-Stars, vintage 2004."
UNITED ARTISTS / "ROCKY": *Rocky theme*
UNIVERSAL PICTURES / "BACK TO THE FUTURE": "I'll give it back to you, all right?"
And now it seems Converse and its parent company, Nike, are trying to protect the iconic brand by getting what they say are Chuck Taylor knockoffs taken off store shelves. (Video via Universal Pictures / "Back to the Future")
Converse has filed suit against 31 different companies, including Wal-Mart, Fila, Ed Hardy and others for trademark infringement.
Converse has reportedly served more than 180 cease-and-desist letters in regards to knockoff Chucks since 2008.
Converse CEO Jim Calhoun told The New York Times: "The goal really is to stop this action. … I think we're quite fortunate here to be in the possession of what we would consider to be an American icon."
An American icon that was on the verge of dying out before shoes and apparel giant Nike stepped in.
Converse filed for bankruptcy in 2001 and reported about $205 million worth of revenue the next year. Today? Converse is a $1.4 billion company and shows no signs of slowing down.
This video includes images from Getty Images, Christian.greller / CC BY NC 2.0 and Ginnerobot / CC BY SA 2.0.
