BERLIN (dpa-AFX) - Adidas has filed a lawsuit against Puma in the United States District Court for the District of Oregon - Portland Division alleging trademark infringement, unfair competition and deceptive trade practices, among other claims.
According to Adidas, Puma's soccer cleats designed with four stripes can be confused for Adidas brand, which has been using three-stripe in its apparels and footwear for more than sixty years.
Puma's use of four diagonal stripes on the side of the Infringing Cleat is a blatant attempt by Puma to trade on the goodwill and commercial magnetism Adidas has built up in the Three-Stripe Mark and to free-ride on Adidas' fame as a pre-eminent soccer brand, states the complaint filed by Adidas.
The lawsuit seeks the court to permanently ban Puma from distributing, marketing or selling footwear having the four-stripe mark. Adidas also seeks monetary damages and require Puma to disgorge all its profits from sales of the four-stripe soccer cleat.
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX