Adidas loses lawsuit over four-stripe design

Jan. 13 (UPI) -- A New York jury on Thursday refused to grant Adidas $7.8 million in damages in a lawsuit the sportswear giant brought against Thom Browne Inc.

Adidas alleged that the four-stripe design on Thom Browne's clothing items is too similar to Adidas' three-stripe design, however, the court sided with Browne's attorney who argued that stripes are a common design.

In 2007, Thom Browne agreed to stop using a three-stripe design on their products after Adidas complained that the design was too similar to theirs. Thom Browne then adopted a four-striped pattern to differentiate their products.

In court, Thom Browne's legal team argued that customers were unlikely to confuse their products with Adidas'.

Thom Browne is not specifically a sports brand, celebrities like Cardi B have been seen in public wearing the brand, but it has expanded its sports-related products in recent years.

Documents from the court case reveal that Adidas has engaged in 90 legal actions related to its brand since 2008.

Adidas said it was disappointed in the latest ruling but would "continue to vigilantly enforce our intellectual property, including filing any appropriate appeals."