Wednesday, January 26, 2005

Adidas wins trademark lawsuit against rival Nike

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - Sneaker giant Nike has been slapped on the wrist by a German court.

That, after the Oregon-based manufacturer tried to sell a pair of workout pants sporting two parallel stripes down the seam.

The district court in Dusseldorf, Germany, has ruled that the two stripes are too similar in appearance to the three stripes logo of German rival, Adidas.

Nike has been ordered to discontinue selling the offending pants. The company is also expected to be fined over one million dollars in damage.

Adidas was founded more than eight decades ago in the German town of Herzogenaurach (HAIR-TSO-GA-NOW-RACK). The company registered the three stripes in 1949 and has aggressively fought any company that tries to use a similar design.

Earlier this month, Adidas took Abercrombie and Fitch to court, claiming the company copied the design in their latest line of casual wear.

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