Adidas Loses Registration For Its "Three Parallel Stripes" Logo

Adidas has been denied the attempt to extend trademark right to its "three parallel stripes" logo following a verdict by an EU court of 12-member bloc that the brand's three equal stripes are not worthy enough to be registered.

As known of the brand that the stripes are very peculiar to its clothing and sportswear but that to the general court of the European Union is ruled to be "an ordinary figurative mark" not sufficient enough for trademark.

The plaintiff, a Belgian company called Shoe Branding Europe, has since 2016 been challenging the trademark previously granted to the sportswear giant for the "three parallel equidistant stripes of identical width" on all its products. On Tuesday, the court ruling was in its favour as the trademark has been declared invalid.

"The general court of the EU confirms the invalidity of the Adidas EU trademark, which consists of three parallel applied in any direction," the EU court said in a statement "The mark is not a pattern mark composed of a series of regularly repetitive elements, but an ordinary figurative mark."

Shoe Branding Europe's interest in Adidas' trademark for the "three parallel stripes" is not coincidental at all because it uses a logo of a similar pattern but in case two stripes on one of its brands, Patrick, it bought in 2008.

The invalidation of the trademark reportedly would not stop Adidas from using the three parallel stripes on his clothing and sportswear, however, it has an option to challenge the ruling of the court.