Adidas have reached the news once again after recommencing their trademark dispute with American fashion brand Thom Browne in relation to the three stripe / four stripe battle that originally began in 2021.
Thom Browne began the dispute 3 years ago against Adidas for the sportswear’s famous three-striped logo where it alleged that Adidas was attempting to create a monopoly over the use of the logo.
However, tables have turned in 2024, with Adidas now launching a further claim against Browne for supposedly breaking the trademark terms within its leisure and sportswear which feature four stripes. The sports giant alleged that Browne’s use of the four stripes would cause confusion among consumers, despite changing from their three-stripe pattern in 2007 after Adidas’ original complaint against the fashion brand. This suit claims that Browne is now exploiting Adidas’ reputation and brand image.
Browne’s lawyer, Philip Roberts, has said that the pairs’ stripes have had ‘more than a decade of peaceful side-by-side co-existence on the market’.
Adidas’ lawyer, Charlotte May, stated that Browne’s inclusion of the three and four-stripe design on sportswear ‘strikes the heart of the Adidas business’.
It will be interesting to see how this trademark term breach claim ends in the High Court this week after jurors previously concluded that Browne’s use of parallel lines on its designs did not infringe Adidas’ trademark, nor did it cause consumer confusion.
The American fashion brand has also launched trademark claims against Adidas in the Netherlands.
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