Adidas is suing Forever 21 once again

By

Emily Jensen

Published
Jul 19, 2017

Adidas alleges that Forever 21 is not only selling a design remarkably similar to its trademarked three-stripe insignia, but also selling counterfeit Adidas products on its website. Adidas made similar allegations against the fast-fashion retailer in 2015.

 
The German shoe brand has taken its suit against Forever 21 to a US federal court where it alleges that the clothing chain uses a three-stripe design that is “identical and/or confusingly similar” to Adidas’ own trademarked design. Adidas claims Forever 21’s use of the design will diminish its own profits and identity.
 
In its filing Adidas claims that these stripe designs represent a breach of contract stemming from a settlement the two companies reached after Adidas sued Forever 21 in 2015. The two have been engaged in a legal back and forth for years over Forever 21’s use of designs similar to those seen on Adidas apparel.

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In addition to its battle with Adidas, Forever 21 has faced numerous lawsuits with various clothing companies in the past few months. Gucci’s lawyers have sent multiple letters to the company in recent months demanding it stop using the blue-red-blue and green-red-green stripes that bear a resemblance to the Italian brand’s iconic stripes. The fashion chain then filed a lawsuit against Gucci in June requesting the Italian house lose its trademark registrations for its distinctive stripes.
 
The fast-fashion chain has also seen some success in its recent legal troubles. In June, Puma lost its lawsuit against Forever 21. The suit alleged that Forever 21 copied three designs from its Fenty x Puma collaboration with Rihanna. The presiding judge cited a lack of evidence.