As if the debate about John Kerry's medals wasn't enough, it now appears that adidas is accusing Ralph Lauren of stealing their stripes. According to an AP story, adidas filed suit August 4 against Polo Ralph Lauren in the U.S. District Court in Portland charging trademark infringement for the use of stripes on the sleeve of a Polo jacket. adidas claims that the jacket bears too close a resemblance to an adidas jacket with three stripes.
adidas reportedly asked the court to order Polo Ralph Lauren to recall all its apparel with the similar logo and all accompanying advertising and promotional material “for impoundment and for destruction.” The suit claims that the Polo product “is likely to deceive, confuse and mislead actual and prospective purchasers into believing that apparel sold by (Polo Ralph Lauren) is manufactured by, authorized by, or in some manner associated with (Adidas), which it is not.”
Read more on this report, including the far-reaching impications for the U.S. presidential election, in Mondays Sports Executive Weekly.
