Sports giant adidas has filed a trademark infringement claim against FC Barcelona.
adidas’ iconic three-stripe trademark is one of the most familiar trademarks in sports in general, and football in particular. Recently the German-based company filed a trademark infringement claim against FC Barcelona with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. The infringement claim contends that FC Barcelona’s request to trademark its own seven-stripe trademark is confusingly similar to its own trademark.
The Spanish club is seeking to register its trademark for ‘paper goods, clothing, footwear, headgear, and other sports equipment’.
It is now up to the USPTO to review the matter and rule whether or not the trademarks are to be considered too similar.
Barcelona is sponsored by adidas’ biggest competitor Nike. Winning can therefore be twice as nice.
