Four stripes are not three stripes

Fashion brand Thom Browne's signature striped branding sparked a major lawsuit from adidas. The sports brand went to court in 2023, arguing that Browne's stripes "imitates" its own inimitable Three Stripes logo.

Consequently, Thom Browne is profiting from the "widespread fame and tremendous public recognition" and "extremely valuable goodwill" of the adidas brand.

Thom Browne argued that both parties are not competitors. adidas' sports gear are all pretty distinct from Browne's luxurious shrunken suiting and couture-level statement pieces.

The German sportswear giant believes that Browne intentionally used adidas-adjacent branding to bring more attention to its sportswear line, leading to confusion amongst consumers.

In return, Browne's attorney referenced an agreement that Browne and adidas made in 2007 when Browne received adidas' blessing to continue using horizontal-striped branding after he added a fourth stripe to his logo.

After a relatively swift trial, Thom Browne triumphed over adidas on January 12, with the jury finding that Browne's four-bar logo doesn't infringe adidas' trademark three stripes.