Foot Locker, Inc.

Foot Locker Defends Against Patent Assertion Campaign

Foot Locker, Inc. is a major American retailer of athletic footwear and apparel headquartered in New York, NY. Founded in 1974, the company operates thousands of retail stores globally under brands including Foot Locker, Kids Foot Locker, Champs Sports, and WSS. For the fiscal year ending in early 2025, the company's revenue was approximately $7.99 billion. In September 2025, the publicly traded company (formerly NYSE: FL) was acquired by Dick's Sporting Goods.

Foot Locker is primarily an operator of brick-and-mortar and e-commerce retail channels. The company sells products from major athletic brands, with nearly 70% of its goods sourced from Nike as of 2023. Its retail banners target various segments of the athletic and lifestyle consumer market, offering shoes, clothing, and accessories. The company employs tens of thousands of people worldwide in its retail and corporate operations.

As a large operating company, Foot Locker's patent litigation posture is that of a defendant. The company's single tracked case shows it being sued for patent infringement, not asserting its own patents. This suit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas—a venue known for being favorable to patent plaintiffs—fits a common pattern of operating companies facing litigation from patent assertion entities.

The case against Foot Locker was filed by Alpha Modus Corp., a publicly traded company (NASDAQ: AMOD) that describes itself as a leader in AI-driven retail technologies. Alpha Modus has filed over two dozen similar lawsuits against a wide range of major retailers, including H&M, Kroger, and Lowe's, consistently asserting patents related to in-store analytics, consumer behavior tracking, and inventory management. Given its low revenue, small number of employees, and extensive, systematic litigation campaign, Alpha Modus is considered a non-practicing entity (NPE).