Adidas Trademark Battle over Three Strips Logo

Adidas is a well-known German sports brand founded by Adolf Dassler at the end of 1940s which is famous for its excellent quality and sports-friendly manufacturing and design. Adidas is also known as the “three strips” branding early in its history.

However, it’s no easy task for the reputable brand to protect its trademark. In fact, Adidas has sued or threatened to sue many retailers to protect the brand.

In mainland China, Adidas has become popular since 1980s and all its products, ranging from cloths, shoes to caps, has been printed or embroidered with the three strips logo. In March, 2000, Adidas applied to WIPO for G730835 trademark registration and was allowed to extend the registration to China on November 8, 2006, mainly for the number 25 shoes, including sports shoes and casual ones.

As its popularity and reputation grow day by day, some products using similar three strips logo appear on the market. To avoid confusion, Adidas has filed lawsuits against the copycats and prevailed in the court most of the time. Many courts ruled in favor of Adidas.

Unfortunately, some “clever” copycats choose to add their own logo inexplicitly beside or beneath the three strips logo, which makes supervision even more difficult.

As for the global market, Adidas has also sued many famous brands such as Forever 21 and Puma. Although most of these lawsuits ended in reconciliation, it’s undeniable that such illegal imitation should be regulated by law.

Adidas’ determination to protect its three strips logo is clear and enduring, amid its efforts on brand publicity and technological innovation.

Craig Whitney, a trademark lawyer at Frankfurt once said, Adidas’ logo is simply. Once there are too many similar logos on the market, Adidas will became mediocre. The trademark battle aims not only to maintain its specialty but also to safeguard reputation and influence of Adidas.

May 14, 2019

Source: China IP Magazine

Photo from: china.com