Fashion Law: Multiple Retailers Targeted by Adidas for Trademark Infringement

Adidas, the multinational designer of sportswear, has decided to fire back against retailers who have wronged them by unlawfully copying their trademarked “Three-Stripe Mark” logo. Busted!

Last April Adidas filed a trademark infringement suit against luxury fashion retailer Marc Jacobs claiming the brand manufactured clothing that copied their logo, which has been registered as a trademark since 1949. The complaint highlights the four parallel stripes used along the sleeves of a few jackets manufactured by Jacobs directly resembled Adidas’ Three Stripe Mark, the logo to which Adidas is globally recognized.

Following suit of other brands that have filed similar complaints, Adidas’ main concern lies with customer satisfaction. Adidas does not want to 1) deceive customers into thinking the jackets produced by Jacobs have any connection to their own brand and, 2) hurt their reputation for producing quality products. Adidas seeks punitive and monetary damages.

The conflict with Marc Jacobs is simply the straw that broke the camel’s back. In a continued effort to further protect their Three Stripe Mark, Adidas filed a similar suit against fast fashion retailer, Forever 21. In this particular suit Forever 21 is accused of selling counterfeit imitations of Adidas apparel, specifically garments donning the trademarked Adidas design. Adidas has boldly stated that Forever 21 is causing “irreparable harm to the goodwill symbolized by the Three-Stripe Mark and the reputation for quality that it embodies.”

In addition to protecting its Three Stripe Mark garments, Adidas has also been taking steps to protect infringement of its Stan Smith sneaker— a shoe that has gained wide fame among fashion goers and bloggers. Brands such as Sketchers and Isabel Marant however, have also been targeted for copying the Stan Smith sneaker in their own “Onix” and “Bart” look-alikes respectively.

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