The latest round of the multinational legal dispute between Adidas and Thom Browne over striped trademarks arrived in London on Wednesday with a hearing at the High Court. has sought to remove ’s range of products comprising its signature four-bar motif from the U.K.
market, contending it would confuse consumers. According to court filings seen by WWD, Thom Browne argued Adidas’ ambition to protect its three-bar trademark, which has had “more than a decade of peaceful side-by-side co-existence on the market” with that of the fashion brand’s four-bar motif, goes “beyond the domain of traditional trademarks.” “This is not a case where there can be any credible change in behavior without confusion: if a consumer knows TB’s goods to be Thom Browne, and knows Adidas to be Adidas, why would they buy TB’s clothes because of Adidas’ reputation? Why would they be any less averse to buying Adidas goods if they know nobody else is going to misattribute what they are wearing?” the Zegna-owned brand said.
The New York-based label also reiterated that the four-bar motif was triggered more than 15 years ago by Adidas itself when the German activewear company asked Thom Browne to move away from his then three-bar motif. The designer has said in the past that the design was motivated by his interest in varsity sportswear following his time as a swimmer at Notre Dame University in the U.S.
“Browne duly obliged, spending the intervening period building his business int.
