Adidas Sues White Fox Over Four-Stripe Clothing in Australia

Adidas has launched proceedings in the Federal Court of Australia against Sydney-based retailer White Fox Boutique, claiming that clothing featuring four parallel stripes of equal width is deceptively similar to its registered three-stripe design.

The German sportswear company, which has held trademark protection for the three-stripe motif in Australia since the 1950s, alleges that White Fox began selling and promoting activewear, loungewear, socks and shorts bearing the four-stripe pattern as early as January 2026. Adidas states it sent cease-and-desist correspondence in March 2026 requesting that the items be removed from sale, but White Fox continued marketing the goods.

Court documents describe side-by-side comparisons and evidence gathered by Adidas representatives, including purchases of multiple White Fox garments and photographs of bus and bus-stop advertisements. Adidas further contends that certain promotional images initially showed models wearing genuine Adidas footwear alongside White Fox apparel, with the stripes later digitally edited after proceedings were filed.

Adidas seeks an injunction, a declaration of infringement, an account of profits, damages, interest and costs. White Fox's lawyers have denied the claims in the initial hearing, arguing the designs are not deceptively similar and pointing to similar four-stripe products sold by other fast-fashion retailers. Justice Ian Jackman listed the matter for a three-to-four-day trial in early 2027.

Sources: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/oct/09/adidas-white-fox-fashion-australia-trading-branding-sydney-ntwnfb https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/fashion/designers/adidas-sues-fashion-retailer-white-fox-boutique-over-deceptively-similar-stripe-apparel/news-story/0ff8a4b8e32a5124b37f620eff344998