Today sees Adidas, a leading global sports brand in a Dutch copyright court.The case began 10 years ago and sees Adidas attempting to increase the protection of their ‘3 stripe’ branding that makes their clothing uniquely ‘adidas’. They are accusing a few smaller trainer brands of copying the Adidas look and taking ‘unfair advantage’ of their leading global brand. In the past the likes of H+M and K-Swiss have done very well selling trainers with 2 or 5 stripes. A ruling from the Dutch courts is expected April 10.

The fact that Adidas is taking this so far and the case has lasted 10 years now highlights the importance of getting your branding right early on. A strong brand will always have its copy-cats and rip-offs (visit any cities downtown stalls and you’ll find a good selection of fakes… Aribas and Hike are some of my favourites!) but it is crucial to have a strong logo and strong trademarks that cannot be loosely lifted by smaller brands without ringing alarm bells. Of course this case raises more questions for the consumer and branding. People become very brand focused and often buy for the sake of the brand rather than quality, comfort or ethics. Is it right to spend £50 on an Adidas shoe that is the same quality as the £10 ones that are non-brand? That is a personal decision.

But the real issues in this case are the fact that a company has managed to trademark 3 parallel lines as a design and is threatening to close down any use of this as a design feature in any apparel etc. that would ‘lead the buyer to be confused, or make an association with Adidas and the famous threes stripes’. (Tim Behean, counsel for Adidas Group). A more detailed report is available at the Times Online website.

As a Creative and a brand designer I have noted these points from this story. Create a clear brand and maintain clarity in the guidelines you set, within which the brand does not become diluted… and maintain such a strong brand presence and consistency that copycats look stupid for even trying. Outshine their lack of creative integrity by your clear brand strength.

Adidas have recently put some strength behind their brand with a video campaign. Highlighting the early days of Adi Dassler and the creation of the Adidas brand is hoped to bring some historic strength to the 3-stripe branding that Adidas have been using. The video was created by 180 Amsterdam, the design agency behind over 20 Adidas campaigns since 2003. — – — – — Adam Glynn-Finnegan, Magnitude Creative.