adidas Takes Legal Action Against J.Crew's Striped Pattern

On the month of their 70th birthday, adidas have filed a request with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to takedown J.Crew's application to trademark a design that contains five stripes. While this definitely isn't the first time the Herzogenaurach-based brand has taken legal action against other companies for allegedly infringing on their iconic logo, with the first time being back in 1983, this case does stand out and here's why.

Back in the late '40s and early '50s, Finnish sports brand Karhu Sports owned the rights to the Three Stripes, but it sold this trademark to adidas for €1,600 and two bottles of whiskey. Since then, the German giant has literally been nicknamed 'The Brand With The Three Stripes', and they've protected their brand as if their life depended on it.

According to adidas, J.Crew's over stripe pattern “incorporates three stripes in a manner that is confusingly similar to [their] three-stripe mark in appearance and overall commercial impression.” While this sounds quite plausible on paper, when you actually look at them side-by-side, you'll notice that they look completely different from one another.

adidas' design features three uniformly sized strokes that are usually dipped in black or white, while J.Crew's concept makes use of five stripes, each in varying widths and painted in ivory, navy, and burgundy hues. The European sportswear manufacturer continues, stating that “consumers familiar with the goods and services long associated with [its] three-stripe mark are likely to assume that the goods and services offered under [J. Crew] originate from the same source, or that they are affiliated, connected, or associated with [adidas].”

Both parties have been given sixty days to settle the disagreement. If they're still in dispute after this, the Trademark Trial and Appeals Board will take over. What do you think of this news? Do you think J.Crew's logo bears a resemblance to adidas' Three Stripe brand? Let us know what you're thinking, and make sure you keep it locked at The Sole Supplier for the latest and greatest sneaker news.