NEW DELHI, July 2 (Reuters) - An Indian court has

revived nine-year-old lawsuits filed by Crocs Inc ( CROX ) which

accused several Indian companies of launching footwear identical

to its popular rubber clogs, allowing the U.S. firm to press

ahead with its infringement challenges.

The court's announcement late on Tuesday comes just as

another international brand, Prada, is facing heat in India for

showcasing sandals during a Milan fashion show which were

similar to Indian ethnic footwear, sparking a nationwide furore.

Prada later acknowledged they were inspired by Indian designs.

Crocs ( CROX ) had sued six companies including Switzerland-based

Bata's India unit as well as local players Relaxo and Liberty

for allegedly copying the shape of its footwear but an Indian

court had said in 2019 that the case could not be taken up

citing technical grounds.

Crocs ( CROX ) however filed an appeal in which the high court on

Tuesday gave it permission to pursue the case saying "the

dismissal of Crocs' ( CROX ) suits cannot sustain in law."

In the original court challenge, Crocs ( CROX ) said the rivals

should be restrained from selling the footwear which it called

an obvious imitation of its rubber clogs.

Liberty, one of the companies sued by Crocs ( CROX ), argued that

Crocs ( CROX ) was not the originator of the designs and it too had

merely copied the clog shape of footwear in use by others much

prior.

Launched in Colorado in 2002, Crocs' ( CROX ) quirky, bright and

comfortable resin shoes quickly attracted a cult following. Over

the years, they have become popular in India, where they are

sold across several footwear stores.

India's footwear market is set to be worth $33.86 billion

this year, according to market research firm Statista, and 97%

of the market is dominated by non-luxury footwear.