Adidas to sue A&F over stripes

German sporting goods giant Adidas is suing to protect its trademark three-stripe logo, arguing that Abercrombie & Fitch Co. copied the design for its latest line of casual wear apparel featured in an online Christmas catalogue. The offending merchandise includes several pairs of trousers and a zip-up sweatshirt, all adorned with three parallel stripes running down the sleeve and pant leg, according to a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Portland.

Adidas America Inc.asked the court to order the impoundment and destruction of all the offending apparel, as well as any bags, boxes, labels, tags or promotional material that accompanied the merchandise. It's not the first time Abercrombie has attempted to use the three stripes - nor is it the first time Adidas has protested.

In 1996 and again in 2002, Adidas wrote to the New Albany, Ohio-based clothing retailer to complain about apparel which used a lookalike design, according to letters between the two companies included in court documents. In both cases, Abercrombie agreed to stop selling the products, although the retailer emphasized it did not believe the products infringed on the Adidas trademark.