Adidas has been known long for its stripes, recently Adidas has launched a legal suit against the New York designer Thom Browne, in its latest battle of pursuing ownership over the three stripes.
“Despite the fact that Thom Browne’s knowledge of Adidas’s rights in the famous Three-Stripe Mark, Thom Browne has expanded its product offerings far beyond its formal wear and business attire and is now offering for sale and selling athletic-style apparel and footwear featuring two, three, or four Adidas’s stripes in a manner that is confusingly similar to Adidas’s Three-Stripe Mark,” said the German sporting goods giant in a complaint filed in New York on Monday.
Adidas began using its three stripes logo as far back 1952 on footwear sold in the USA and on garments since 1967. Adidas was granted a federal trademark in the year 1994 for the use of stripes in footwear.
Thom Browne launched his brand twenty years ago, initially, it focused on tailoring and his trademark cropped silhouette, especially the grey wool suit. Thom Browne majority is own by Italy’s Ermenegildo Zegna Group, keeps pushing the brand’s high-end sporty ranges, till date which has shown great commercial success. Thom Browne’s four strip logo often can be seen on the left sleeve of the sweatshirt or the left thigh joggers and bottoms. Recently Browne started using those stripes in his sneakers. Adidas has a long trademark battle when it comes to protecting its stripes, previously it has lodge complaints against J. Crew, Forever 21, Sketchers and even Tesla now includes Thom Browne.
In a latest statement, Adidas ask the New York court to “permanently prohibit Thom Browne from distributing, marketing or selling apparel, footwear or bearing confusingly similar imitations of the Adidas Three-Stripe Mark.” Adidas also demanded for monetary and requests Browne to give out all of its profits from its sales of the alleged infringing sportswear.
