US sporting goods maker Nike may no longer sell some sports trousers in Germany that feature three stripes after a judge found these are too similar to the designs of rival Adidas, in a court decision on Tuesday.
The Dusseldorf Higher Regional Court made the decision after an appeal but it dismissed Adidas' objections to four other pairs of Nike trousers that also feature stripes.
Unlike the Dusseldorf Regional Court, the Higher Regional Court saw sufficient differences to the Adidas design in these trousers. "Not every side stripe pattern on sports trousers is to be prohibited," the court stated.
Its judgement is final.
Adidas argued its well-known trade-mark design featuring three parallel stripes was infringed by the five Nike trousers designs in 2022 and filed a lawsuit.
Nike objected after the Düsseldorf Regional Court issued an order prohibiting Nike from selling the trousers in Germany. The US company lodged an appeal. The regional court confirmed the decision in 2023, and Nike appealed in response.
