Vibram barefoot running controversy

Excellent account of the controversy. As Matt McCarthy puts it, the jury is still out:
"Last week's class-action settlement by Vibram, an Italian footwear manufacturer known for making silly-looking lightweight running shoes, recalls the recent case against Sketchers, a company that agreed to pay out $40 million after falsely claiming that walking in its product would give you Kim Kardashian's bootie."

Straight no-frills coverage from Runner's World:
"Vibram USA, the company that makes FiveFingers running shoes, has agreed to settle a lawsuit that alleged the company made false and unsubstantiated claims about the health benefits of its glove-like footwear. According to the court filings, Vibram settled to put the matter to rest and avoid any additional legal expenses."

Nice collection of Born To Run-related quotes in this Deadspin article:

"In 2009, Chris McDougall published, an account of his adventures in the remote canyons of Mexico. From his travelogue was birthed an industry-shifting movement that re-examined everything once accepted as gospel truth about running shoes. One of the uglier fruits of that movement: the Vibram FiveFingers shoe, a foot condom that enjoyed a brief, inexplicable vogue thanks to the minimalist-shoe fad."

An interesting take from Outside Online. As it puts it, "this was a lawsuit about an advertising campaign, not a style of running shoes".

"There's been a certain gleefulness in response to the news that Vibram has settled a class-action lawsuit over its FiveFingers running shoes for $3.75 million. The FiveFingers have always been ridiculous looking, but now (finally!) there's proof that they're not even good for you."