Ruling Favors Oakley

A federal judge has ruled that Nike Inc. infringed on Oakley Inc. patents in an ongoing legal battle between the two companies, Foothill Ranch-based Oakley said Monday.

Oakley maintains that its XYZ Optics technology, used in all of its sunglasses, lessens lens distortion in glasses that are curved both horizontally and vertically to offer better eye protection. It claims Oregon-based Nike used the technology in its RV8 and RV12 sunglass models.

Federal Judge Alicemarie H. Stotler in Santa Ana also denied the latest in a series of motions by Nike to invalidate the patents, Oakley said. “These rulings are an important milestone for Oakley in our effort to prevent unscrupulous copying of our proprietary technology,” Chairman Jim Jannard said in a statement.

But Nike said the issues won’t be resolved until the case goes to trial.

“We believe that Oakley’s XYZ patents are invalid,” spokesman Scott Reames said. “We cannot infringe on something that is not valid.”

Oakley’s stock closed Monday at $7.63, down 19 cents a share, on the New York Stock Exchange.