Adidas Blocks Two-Stripe Trademark Registration in EU

Adidas AG successfully blocked a competitor from registering a European Union trademark for a logo with two vertical stripes.

The EU General Court on March 1 sided with Adidas in two separate decisions, affirmed earlier findings that Shoe Branding Europe BVBA’s applied-for trademarks would take unfair advantage of Adidas’ three-stripe mark and injure the earlier mark’s reputation.

Branding Europe BVBA had applied for registrations in its two-striped mark for two different classes of goods, footwear and safety shoes. Adidas had opposed the registrations at the EU Intellectual Property Office, which administers EU trademarks.

The cases are Shoe Branding Europe BVBA v. ...