Sportswear giant Adidas has lost a courtroom battle a perceived infringement its trademark three-stripe logo. Adidas lodged a complaint the American luxury fashion brand Thom Browne, which uses a four-stripe logo its clothes. Adidas claimed the four stripes were too similar to its three stripes and filed a lawsuit. It attempted to claim more than $7.8 million in damages. However, a jury a Manhattan court decided Thom Browne's favour. It declared that the four stripes did not infringe Adidas' logo or reputation. Jurors decided that consumers were unlikely to confuse the two brands, as they were capable distinguishing between three and four parallel stripes.
Thom Browne is a New York-based fashion house founded 2001. It caters to the high-end fashion market and has collaborated many top names the world luxury apparel. The brand made a name itself in 2020 designing a scarf as part Joe Biden's "Believe in Better" fashion collection. The dispute Adidas dates back 16 years. Browne used a three-stripe design a jacket in 2007. After Adidas protested, Browne switched to a four-stripe pattern. Thom Browne maintained that confusion the two designs was unlikely because the two companies "operate different markets, serve different customers, and offer their products strikingly different prices".
