Adidas continues to prove that it is one of the most aggressive brands when it comes to enforcing its intellectual property. After taking on football club FC Barcelona, and in the midst of ongoing disputes with Forever 21, Adidas has raised a new challenge at the USPTO over yet another trademark application incorporating three parallel stripes. Adidas filed its Opposition against the application for the “3 GOLD BARS” mark which displays that wording below three horizontal lines.
The application was filed in international class 025 for clothing goods, the same as several of the trademark and trade dress registrations cited by Adidas. Adidas focuses on the fame and extensive use of its various three-stripe marks to allege broad protections against this mark, and virtually any mark that incorporates three parallel bars or stripes.
Although any similarities between Adidas’ registrations and the present application which incorporates that simple design element may seem innocent enough, Adidas has consistently succeeded in challenging similar marks in the past. And it likely may again.
Source – World Intellectual Property Review