Dallas Cowboys, NFL Sue Converse

The Dallas Cowboys and the National Football League’s marketing arm sued Converse Inc., the latest twist in a four-year battle over the use of star logos on athletic shoes. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Dallas, asks a federal judge to declare that the team can continue to license its logo to shoe companies without infringing Converse’s trademark, which also uses a star design on shoes such as its Converse All-Stars. The five-time Super Bowl champion Cowboys claim in the lawsuit that Converse was preparing its own legal action to prevent the sale of shoes made by Foot-Tec Industries Inc. of Miami Beach that bear the Cowboy logo and helmet design. Foot-Tec is scheduled to begin shipping the shoes to retailers in mid-August, the lawsuit said. Attorneys for the Cowboys and officials for Converse, based in North Reading, Mass., were not available to comment.