Kanye West suing Walmart over 'imitation' Yeezy Foam Runners

Kanye West is suing Walmart alleging the retailer sells rip-offs of his Yeezy Foam Runner shoes.

In legal documents obtained by The Blast, Kanye included pictures of the two pairs of shoes for comparison - indicating that the designs do have some similarities.

Kanye's filing reads: "Walmart is flagrantly trading off of his and Yeezy brand's popularity by offering for sale an imitation version of the Yeezy Foam Runner.

"Walmart's conduct is harming, and will continue to harm, West and Yeezy, leaving them no choice but (to sue) to stop Walmart's unfair competition and profiting from the popularity of the success of West and Yeezy."

The lawsuit includes a reminder that the Yeezy brand is worth "billions" of dollars, and the potential losses the rapper-turned-fashion designer could suffer from cheap knock-offs could run into "hundreds of millions" of dollars.

Kanye's suit also included several boasts about his status in the fashion world, stating: "Simply put, Kanye West is a household name, and the Yeezy brand, which has become synonymous with West, has become one of the most influential and successful brands in fashion."

The lawsuit also pointed out how popular Yeezy clothing and shoes are with stars including soon-to-be-ex-wife Kim Kardashian.

The Gold Digger hitmaker's lawyers call the Walmart shoes a "sub-par product" compared to the Yeezy brand shoes - which retail for upwards of $75 (£54) - with certain versions costing far more. Walmart's similar shoes are listed as costing around $20 (£14.36).

"Not only are West and Yeezy losing market share for their authentic Yeezy Foam Runner, but also their reputation and the goodwill of the Yeezy brand is being harmed by the association with the Imitation Shoe given its subpar quality, as evidenced by the consumer comments shown from the Walmart website," their filing states.

In an attempt to prove his case, he included negative reviews from Walmart's website calling their shoes "garbage" compared to his own brand. The star's team claims to have contacted Walmart about the issue, but to no avail.

Walmart chiefs are yet to comment on the lawsuit.