Drawing the battle lines: Adidas’s mission to protect its three stripes

Adidas, known for its shoes and sportswear bearing three white stripes, is a prolific enforcer of its valuable brand, suing and opposing competitors and non-competitors alike. Adidas is vigilant in ensuring that uses of two, three or four stripes by others—even where such uses are arguably non-confusing—do not lessen the ability of its three stripe marks to identify and distinguish its goods.