Adidas sues Marc Jacobs for allegedly infringing three-stripe trademark

Adidas has claimed that luxury brand Marc Jacobs is selling clothing that infringes trademarks it owns for its famous three-stripe design.

In a complaint filed last week (April 8) at the US District Court for the District of Oregon Portland Division, Adidas has claimed that sweatshirts manufactured by Marc Jacobs that have four parallel stripes are a “blatant disregard” of Adidas’s rights and are likely to “deceive, confuse and mislead” consumers.

Adidas’s three-stripe mark consists of three parallel lines and has been used by the company since 1952.

The lawsuit includes details of 11 separate US variants of the trademark. The German-based brand also owns a trademark for the phrase ‘The brand with the 3 stripes’, the complaint said.

According to Adidas, the mark has helped the company to generate billions of dollars in revenue globally since it was first used.

Adidas has also cited the sponsorship of musicians such as Katy Perry and Kanye West, as well as professional footballers Lionel Messi and David Beckham, as evidence that it is a “famous” brand.

The complaint said: “The three-stripe mark is non-functional, and the public recognises and understands that the three-stripe mark distinguishes and identifies Adidas’s merchandise.

“Marc Jacobs’s use of confusingly similar imitations of Adidas’s three-stripe mark is likely to deceive, confuse and mislead purchasers and prospective purchasers into believing that the apparel sold by Marc Jacobs is manufactured by, authorised by, or in some manner associated with Adidas, which it is not,” the company added.

Adidas has said Marc Jacobs is liable for trademark infringement, unfair competition breaches, trademark dilution and deceptive trade practices. It has requested an injunction against all items sold by Marc Jacobs that use the four parallel stripes, as well as damages.

Neither Adidas nor Marc Jacobs responded to a request for comment.