Adidas Sues Independent Australian Brand for Trademark Infringement

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The thing about trademarks is, if you don’t defend them, you lose them. And Adidas is working hard to make sure they don’t lose theirs, suing independent Australian fast fashion brand White Fox for selling clothes and accessories bearing four stripes and a striking resemblance to Adidas’s own iconic three striped products.

In September filings with Australia’s federal court, which were updated Thursday, Adidas alleged that White Fox was trying to imply an association with their name and products by selling items wit four stride designs that were more or less identical to items from Adidas. They also said White Fox had ignored repeated requests to stop selling the offending items.

Adidas accused White Fox of further muddying the waters by promoting its socks and pants in pictures with models wearing three-striped Adidas shoes, which Adidas claims White Fox later digitally altered to remove one of the stripes.

Adidas has held the trademark over clothes and accessories with three stripes since 1952 and a similar Australian trademark since 1973, though they were denied broader trademarks over three stripe designs in the EU in 2019.

Their hold over four-stripe designs is more tenuous. In 2023, they successfully sued Pacific Brands for selling Dunlop and Grosby shoes with four stripes. However, in 2025, the brand lost some of it’s trademarks in a legal battle with Thom Browne over his use of four stripes.

Adidas wants White Fox to stop selling the products, declare it broke the law, and pay its profits on the products to Adidas plus damages, interests, and costs.

The first hearing in the case was set for Friday, to be presided over by Justice Ian Jackman, brother of actor Hugh Jackman.