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ARTICLE · 12 OCTOBER 2026

Three Stripes, Four Stripes: The Adidas v White Fox Trade Mark Dispute

Murgitroyd
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Adidas has commenced trade mark infringement proceedings in Australia against fashion retailer White Fox over its use of four parallel stripes on clothing. It is the latest dispute to test how far adidas can prevent third parties from using stripe designs which come close to its well-known three-stripe branding.

GlobalIntellectual Property
Gareth Price
Gareth Price
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Adidas has commenced trade mark infringement proceedings in Australia against fashion retailer White Fox over its use of four parallel stripes on clothing. It is the latest dispute to test how far adidas can prevent third parties from using stripe designs which come close to its well-known three-stripe branding.

The proceedings were commenced in September 2026, with adidas alleging that White Fox’s four-stripe designs are “substantially identical with or otherwise deceptively similar” to its registered three-stripe marks. White Fox denies infringement. At the first hearing on 9 October, its lawyers indicated that it would argue that similar decorative stripes are used by other fashion retailers. Its formal defence has not yet been filed.

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