Historical changes
Logo is the identity feature, the face of a brand. Therefore, logo protection is considered a vital task of brands if they want to develop. In the race of sports fashion bosses, Adidas is said to have won a special position. In addition to the quality, design, development orientation of the company, making customers feel excited and sympathetic to the Adidas logo is the biggest success. Very rare brands, when only looking at the logo immediately, customers “numbered” in the head, “Ah, is Adidas”.
And as usual, brands are loyal to a logo from birth. However, for many special reasons, Adidas is a quite different example when many times have changed the identity logo. However, changing the identifier not only loses the consistency of the logo, but also contrasts, this brand is more and more known to customers.
Adidas’ first logo design was born in 1967 quite simply with 3 horizontal stripes merely to determine its product. Just 3 simple horizontal bars, easy to remember.
However, in 1972, in order to renew creativity and promote brand development on the basis of available platforms, Adidas’ “3” (Trefoil) logo was born. The “three leaves” first introduced in 1972, symbolizing the Olympic spirit of immortality and soon became the company’s symbol during the next 25 years. By 1997, the “3 bars” logo was reused by the creative director of this brand. “3 bars” make us think of the mountains that overlap with the challenges ahead and the higher purpose each person must strive to achieve.
Lawsuits shaken the fashion world
Adidas is a hegemon in sports fashion, so protecting brands is always their top concern. They turned the outline of lines 2, 3, and 4 strokes as commercial characteristics of Adidas. This distinctive feature has been built up and achieved awareness of over 90%. According to the Federal Supreme Court, the level of human recognition and reminiscence for well-known and different brands is always higher than other common brands. That’s why consumers see the contours of two or four strokes always relate to the commercial characteristics of Adidas.
And Adidas has also been involved in a historic brand dispute with Tesla, a company that specializes in manufacturing and assembling electric vehicles. When Tesla tried to register a trademark for the No. 3 electric scooter, the company applied to the US Patent and Trademark Office without knowing that the idea of their three horizontal stripes was similar to the brand’s logo. famous Adidas. Adidas said the three horizontal bars (symbolizing the E) in Tesla’s logo will confuse Adidas’ 3 “stripe” logo which has been used for more than half a century. Finally Tesla pulled out the application and changed the three horizontal bars to 3.
In addition to Tesla, in 5 years Adidas has conducted more than 50 lawsuits with rivals such as Nike, Skechers and even Marc Jacobs when having ideas and intentions to create subsidiaries’ logos similar to “3 bars” of me
As in 2005, Adidas sued the US Polo Group, designer Ralph Lauren and Abercrombie & Fitch to the US court for infringing on the copyright of Adidas’ line of trade features for shoes and clothing products. , but only with 2 strokes. By January 2006 the court had reviewed Nike and producer Tom Tailor in Germany had violated Adidas’ commercial trademark with a 3-stroke outline.
So far, having spent nearly six decades developing and shaping the brand, Adidas has really made many other competitors have to respect their hats because of their sensitivity as well as mindful thinking about brand protection. More than anyone else, Adidas has “asserted” that stealing and copying logos is a shameful practice and will be punished appropriately.