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Any and every major shoe company logo has been knocked off, spoofed and somewhat copied at some level in attempt to make fun or more often make money. While the Swoosh, the Jumpman and the Trefoil are all quite distinct, adidas’ striped branding is perhaps more universal if you will and easier to imitate. Not for long though — at least in Europe — as adidas has won a legal battle over parallel stripes.
According to Fashionista, The Court of Justice of the European Union has ruled that adidas now has the right to oppose other brands from registering trademarks for parallel stripes on the side of athletic shoes. Takedowns on the Superstar with either added or subtracted stripes have been commonplace for years, but this ruling allows adidas to own the rights to parallel stripes on sneakers at least in the EU. Following a win in the US over Skechers also over design matters, this is good news for the Herzog headquarters.