Steve Madden Sues Adidas Seeking Court Approval to Use Two Stripes on Shoes

By Josh Gerben, Esq.

Published: May 22, 2025
Modified: July 1, 2025 Published: May 22, 2025 | Modified: July 1, 2025

Fashion brand Steve Madden has filed a lawsuit against Adidas, asking a federal court to declare that its use of two parallel lines on its footwear does not infringe on Adidas’ iconic “three-stripe” trademarks.

In the complaint, Steve Madden accuses Adidas of using both legal and “illegal and anticompetitive” tactics to monopolize design elements widely used in the fashion industry—specifically, parallel lines. The lawsuit aims to stop what Madden calls a “pattern of intimidation,” arguing that Adidas has wrongfully expanded its trademark rights to claim ownership over nearly any stripe design, regardless of the number, shape, or orientation.

Madden’s legal filing includes a request for declaratory judgment—a type of court ruling that allows a company to proactively clarify its legal rights when facing potential trademark accusations. This comes after Adidas allegedly contacted Madden’s legal team in early May, accusing the brand’s Viento and Janos sneakers of infringing on its three-stripe mark.

Steve Madden Viento and Janos Sneakers

Adidas Sneakers

The complaint highlights Adidas’ aggressive enforcement record. According to the complaint, since 1995, Adidas has initiated over 325 enforcement actions related to its three-stripe trademark in the United States. In fact, since just January 2023, Adidas has taken action to block over 50 trademark applications containing stripes that have been filed with the USPTO. Madden points out that even shoes with four or two stripes—and in some cases, designs with “divergent” or non-parallel lines—have drawn Adidas’ ire.

The lawsuit details a long history of friction between the two companies, dating back to 2002 when Adidas sued Steve Madden over shoes with two and four parallel lines. Though that case was settled, Madden alleges that Adidas’ enforcement tactics have only escalated. 

In support of its case, Steve Madden includes a visual exhibit showing 21 other shoe designs from brands like Nautica, Tommy Hilfiger, and Converse—each featuring parallel lines.

Exhibit from the Lawsuit: Other Shoe Brands Using Parallel Lines

Steve Madden also points out that Adidas routinely sends cease-and-desist letters and files oppositions with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to control stripe-based designs.

One notable example included in the complaint is Adidas’ now-withdrawn opposition to the Black Lives Matter Global Network’s trademark application, which featured a yellow three-stripe design for educational and charitable services.

Another is the high-profile 2022 lawsuit against luxury designer Thom Browne, where Adidas lost a jury trial over Browne’s use of four horizontal bars—though that decision is currently under appeal.

Madden also emphasizes that its Viento and Janos shoe designs were approved by the USPTO without any objections based on Adidas’ trademarks.

“Adidas does not own all stripes,” Madden states in the complaint, “and should not be allowed to claim it has a monopoly on all footwear that includes stripes, bars, bands, or any shape having four sides—parallel, straight, or not.”

Ultimately, this case shines a light Adidas’ trademark enforcement efforts. While trademark owners do have the responsibility to police their trademarks, Adidas’ legal effort is particularly aggressive.

For example, over the past few years alone, Adidas has filed many ‘Notice of Oppositions’ with the USPTO. This type of proceeding blocks a trademark application once the USPTO has approved it.

Notice of Oppositions filed by Adidas with the USPTO

Oppositions filed between January 1, 2023 – July 1, 2025.

wdt_ID	wdt_created_by	wdt_created_at	wdt_last_edited_by	wdt_last_edited_at	Owner	Opposed Trademark
1					Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation
2					Hugo Boss Trademark Mark Management GmbH & Co KG
3					Vineyard Vines LLC
4					LIV Golf
5					Aequus Sports LLC
6					Wilson Sporting Goods
7					Kang's Holding Company
8					Warstic Sports Inc
9					Christopher Joseph Cisneros
10					3Point0 Labs Inc
11					Cole Haan LLC
12					Age Bold Inc
13					Shengji Zhang
14					Rare Forma
15					Hollow Alpaca LLC
16					Mier International Co., Limited
17					Connie B. Simmons
18					Hangzhou Shaohei Trading Co., Ltd.
19					Doti Sports LLC
20					Noah Brown
21					Ikigai Marketing Works LLC
22					Marsupials LLC
23					Rise Sportswear (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd
24					Exporal Inc
25					Juan C. Martinez
26					Tazio S. Grivetti and Michael P. Jirik
27					Samurai International Holdings Ltd.
28					Quanzhou Huanchi Trading Co., Ltd.
29					Hybrid Athletic Sciences
30					Trebor General Merchandise Corp.
31					Guangzhou Sanhaijing Clothing Co., Ltd
32					Guilin Huang
33					Sehoon Oh
34					Shenzhen Boqiao Trading Co., Ltd and Shenzhen Zhousijia Trading Co., Ltd
35					Sevic Systems SE
36					Catapult Group International Ltd
37					Danni Hong
38					Trackhouse Entertainment Group LLC
39					High Bar Apparel
40					Elite Custom Wear
41					B. U. e-com Trade (Beijing) Co. Ltd
42					WGT-L/20 LLC
43					NG Labs Inc
44					Equicor, LLC
45					Sol Echo LLC
46					Jay T. Smith Enterprises LLC
47					Liquid Performance LLC
48					Marlon Ingram
49					House of Athlete Holdings LLC
50					Leonel Marra
51					Palla Sportswear Inc
52					Thom Browne, Inc
53					The Ohio State University
54					La Potencia, LLC
55					Nkansa-Gyane Industries LLC
56					Augusta Sportswear Inc
57					Liu Feizhou

Unfortunately, many smaller businesses do not have the resources to fight a corporation like Adidas. For these companies, putting up a proper legal fight against a Notice of Opposition or threatened litigation can be challenging. It is good to see Steve Madden use its resources to stand up for the industry.

As for this lawsuit? It was filed in the Eastern District of New York on May 21st. Adidas has a few weeks to respond with its Answer. 

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Josh Gerben, Esq.

Josh Gerben, Esq. is a nationally recognized trademark attorney and the founder of Gerben IP. Since launching the firm in 2008, he has overseen the registration of over 10,000 trademarks and handled over 1,500 trademark disputes. Josh's practice focuses on building and defending global trademark portfolios for clients. These clients include entrepreneurs, private equity-backed businesses, athletes, celebrities, and public companies. Frequently quoted by major media outlets like CNBC, CNN, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal, Josh is widely regarded as a leading authority in trademark law.