Following an legal battle between animal rights organizations and sporting giant Adidas, a new law legalizes the importing of kangaroo products to California harvested from non-endangered kangaroo species in Australia came into effect up to 2010.

Soccer shoes and other sports footwear made from kangaroo hide are popular among professional athletes.

Adidas is the biggest industrial customer of the kangaroo hide and uses the hides to make the popular Predator cleats, which soccer players describe as lighter and more airy than competing brands.

In 1971, California banned the sale of products made from kangaroos and a host of other animals threatened with extinction.

In 1995, the US federal Fish and Wildlife Agency removed the animals from its threatened list and allowed for the importation of kangaroo leather after the Australian government said the kangaroo populations had recovered.

In 2003, legislation was introduced to repeal the kangaroo ban, with Adidas spending at least AUS530,000 lobbying since then to allow the importation of kangaroo products to the state.