Enlarge image
Thom Browne, US fashion designer, wears four-stripe socks in federal court in New York
Photo: Yuki Iwamura / dpa
Adidas has lost a legal battle with a fashion designer who uses a four-stripe design on its garments.
The German sportswear giant argued that luxury brand Thom Browne's design was too similar to its three stripes.
The British news channel BBC reported on the court's decision.
Adidas sought more than $7.8 million (£6.4 million) in damages, but a New York jury found Browne right.
The designer had argued that customers were unlikely to confuse the two brands.
Browne's creations often feature four horizontal, parallel stripes enclosing an article of clothing, such as a sock.
The products don't come cheap, with a pair of women's compression leggings costing £680 (€766), for example, according to the BBC.
The company's lawyers argued that stripes were a common design.
The fashion brand most recently designed rapper Cardi B's outfit for the 2019 Met Gala and outfitted ex-British professional footballer Scott Parker.
Adidas first complained in 2007 about Browne using a three-stripe design on jackets.
Browne agreed to no longer use this design and added a fourth stripe.
A spokesman for Adidas said the company was disappointed with the decision but would "remain vigilant in enforcing our intellectual property, including lodging appropriate legal remedies."
Thom Browne told the Associated Press he hopes the case will inspire other designers whose work is being contested by bigger companies.
"It was important to fight and tell my story," he said.
hey
