Six historically black fraternal organizations are fighting Nike-owned Converse in Dallas, alleging use of their colors on its sneakers without permission.

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The federal lawsuit, returned to the Dallas court after an appeal, says Converse also has been similarly using the fraternities and sororities' founding years on the sneakers, reports The Dallas Morning News.

"We just felt like we had been overlooked," Sam Hamilton, chairman of the organizations' Council of Presidents, told the newspaper.

Without commenting on the allegations, a Converse spokeswoman in a prepared statement was quoted as saying her company wants to resolve the matter. The newspaper reported the company, which has stopped selling the sneakers, had earlier said the fraternity colors and founding years aren't trademarked.

The groups claim the color and the year are universally recognized as theirs and hence should be protected even without an official registration, the report said.