Adidas Sues Puma for Copyright Infringement Over Football Boot Design

Adidas has sued Puma for copyright infringement over the design of the evoPOWER Vigor Camo football boots. It was reported by Law360 on Tuesday that Adidas filed a lawsuit against Puma in Oregon federal court.

Did the Puma evoPOWER Vigor Camo Infringe the Adidas Three-Stripe Trademark?

In the lawsuit, Adidas claims that the design of the Puma evoPOWER Vigor Camo is similar to the iconic Adidas look, despite carrying four stripes.

“Puma’s use of four diagonal stripes on the side of the infringing cleat is a blatant attempt by Puma to trade on the goodwill and commercial magnetism adidas has built up in the three-stripe mark and to free-ride on Adidas' fame as a preeminent soccer brand,” Adidas said in a statement.

The three stripes on a recent Adidas soccer cleat

People familiar with Adidas' handling of copyright issues will know that this lawsuit is more about showing vigor in defending the famed three-stripe trademark instead of an actual problem with the relatively unimportant evoPOWER Vigor Camo. In a similar lawsuit, Adidas took on FC Barcelona not long ago.

Does the design of the Puma evoPOWER Vigor Camo soccer cleats infringe the Adidas three-stripes trademark? Drop us a line below, and check out the latest leaks from both brands in the Boot Calendar.