Adidas does not own stripes

Adidas-Salomon AG has suffered a defeat in a legal battle against the Dutch clothing company Fitnessworld regarding the use of its two-stripe logo. Adidas claimed it could be confused with its own famous three-stripe logo.

But the High Court in Brussels on Thursday dismissed Adidas's claim that the logo infringes on its trademark. "The proprietor of a trademark with a reputation cannot prevent the use of a similar sign viewed purely as a decorative motif," the court ruled.

In 2000, Adidas lost another case, against Dutch clothing company Marca Mode CV, which also used stripes on its sportswear.