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Adidas Wins $305 Million in Copyright Suit

The offending sneakers.Photo: wwd.com

Yesterday, Adidas won $305 million in a copyright suit against Payless ShoeSource — and, because $305 million is never enough, the judge might award the German sneaker company even more money. The trademark dispute lasted six and a half years, and the lawyer for Adidas said the sum could be the largest ever in a copyright case. Adidas sued Payless for infringing on its three-stripe logo, as you see in this photo. Payless, naturally, finds the sum excessive and plans to fight the outcome. In the meantime, they might want to find themselves a Bloody Mary or seven, just to ease the headaches.

Anyhow, this is no small deal, considering the decision could set a precedent for all the recent fashion trademark suits that have surfaced, including Phat Fashions’ against Victoria’s Secret for allegedly copying its logo for the Pink line; Victoria’s Secret’s against Macy’s for allegedly copying its Pink line; and Juicy Couture’s against Victoria’s Secret for putting logos across the ass of its Pink line pants. Yes, it’s a tangled copyright web of Pink. Is it any wonder, then, that the pair of sneakers in question is pink, too?

Adidas Awarded $305M in Suit Against Payless [WWD]
Adidas wins $305 million award for a three-stripe trademark violation against US company [IHT]

Adidas Wins $305 Million in Copyright Suit