Adidas loses three-stripe design trademark lawsuit against Thom Browne

Adidas AG lost its battle against Thom Browne in connection with its dispute over the three-stripe design. A jury in Manhattan court said it made the decision as the sneaker and sportswear manufacturer was not able to prove that the New York-based luxury fashion brand’s use of the three stripes on its creations infringed its signature design trademark.

As per Reuters, after a review, the jury determined that Thom Browne’s parallel stripe designs were not likely to cause confusion with Adidas' products. With the verdict, the trademark infringement trial that started earlier this month has officially ended.

In its defense, Thom Browne argued that its stripes design has a different number of lines compared to Adidas. The fashion house’s spokesperson said that the company is pleased with the jury’s decision.

On the other hand, the spokesperson for Adidas said through an email that the brand is disappointed with the verdict but will still continue to impose its intellectual property. Thus, they will be filing any necessary appeals to protect its trademarks.

The German sneaker maker has already filed more than 90 lawsuits related to trademark infringements since 2008 and signed over 200 settlement agreements throughout the period. It was reported that Thom Browne previously applied the three stripes on its clothing pieces and later changed this to four stripes after Adidas protested in 2007.

In 2021, Adidas finally sued the fashion brand claiming that the four-bar and "Grosgrain" stripe patterns on its footwear and activewear violated its trademark rights. In response, Thom Browne said that the consumers would not be confused with their designs as they operate in different markets and cater to different customers as well. The latter also pointed out that their products have totally different price tags.

Finally, BBC News reported that when the lawsuit was filed, Adidas was planning to demand more than $7.8 million compensation for damages, but unfortunately, the jury’s verdict was in favor of Thom Browne.

Photo by: Camilla Carvalho/Unsplash