EU court rules that Adidas's three stripes trademark is invalid
ADVERTISEMENTThe European Union's second highest court ruled on Wednesday that Adidas's trademark consisting of three parallel stripes was invalid.
The General Court of the European Union said it upheld a decision of the European Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) in 2016 to annul a previous decision to accept the mark on the basis that it was devoid of any distinctive character.
Adidas wants to prevent other clothing companies from using a mark "consisting of three parallel equidistant stripes of identical width, applied on [a] product in any direction".
The ruling only confirms the refusal of an EU wide trademark, the brand can still protect its stripes at national level.
Adidas could still bring an appeal to the European Court of Justice.
