Adidas Files Trademark Opposition Regarding LIV Golf’s Striped Logo
Stephen Garner
Senior Editor
Adidas is once again taking steps to protect its trademarks, this time taking aim at LIV Golf League.
Last Monday, the German athletic company filed a notice of opposition with the U.S. Patent and Trademark related to LIV Golf’s trademark registration of its striped logo.
In the notice, Adidas claims that the Saudi-backed golf league’s “L” branding “closely resembles” the company’s 3-Stripe trademarks. Adidas further alleges that LIV’s mark is “likely to cause confusion” with consumers and would “seriously injure Adidas’s reputation” if LIV’s registration is approved.
“Additionally, registration of applicant’s [LIV’s] marks are likely to dilute the distinctiveness of the Adidas marks by eroding consumers’ exclusive identification with Adidas, and otherwise lessening the capacity of the Adidas marks to identify and distinguish the goods of Adidas,” the notice stated.
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FN has reached out to Adidas and LIV Golf for comment.
While this move comes short of Adidas taking LIV Golf to court in a lawsuit regarding the marks, it does signal a continued push by the German company to protect its 3-Stripe legacy.
In its latest legal battle involving the 3-Stripes, Adidas lost its bid to block Thom Browne from using his four-stripe logo and grosgrain ribbon. The January ruling also prevented Adidas from collecting damages in the amount of $867,225 — the amount the companies agree it would have received in licensing fees from Thom Browne Inc., if the two had worked together — as well as the $7 million in profits it alleged the American designer made from selling apparel and footwear with stripes.
Although the jury found for Browne, the German powerhouse appealed months later, saying that the judge in the case had given the jury incorrect instructions regarding confusion that might result at the point-of-sale and requested a new trial.
In late August, Thom Browne’s attorneys responded that the instructions to the jury were not misleading and the expert witness it used “did not plausibly harm Adidas,” and asked the appellate court to reject Adidas’ attempt to revisit the issue.
Separately, in March, Adidas reversed course after filing a complaint with the United States Patent and Trademark Office calling for the government organization to reject a Black Lives Matter application for a logo trademark featuring three yellow parallel stripes.
Meanwhile, LIV Golf agreed to merge with the PGA Tour in June in a deal that has received much scrutiny and an investigation by the U.S. Senate. It’s unclear how this merger will affect LIV Golf’s logos or if they will continue to be used at all once the deal is complete.
