Four Stripes, Still Adidas

You know the slightly ironic saying "More stripes, more adidas"? I'm sure you do... And the Czech courts know it too! So well, in fact, that it made it into the reasoning of a judgment. If you want to know the outcome, read the article commenting on the court battle of the stripes.

It looks like better (more secure) times are ahead for IP owners. The judgment of the High Court in Prague, case no. 3 Co 63/2022, which again set the rules for assessing the similarity, or the likelihood of confusion, of trademarks, has perhaps not escaped the attention of any IP litigator.

In that litigation, adidas AG ("adidas") sought, inter alia, a declaration that the four-stripe sneakers seized by the customs authority infringed its trademarks, primarily the three-stripe trademark which had been declared a famous trademark by the Industrial Property Office.