Steve Madden Battles Adidas in Legal Move Over Shoe Design Disputes
By Jonathan Stempel
NEW YORK () – Adidas, famous for footwear featuring three parallel stripes, faced legal action from Steven Madden on Wednesday. The lawsuit alleges that Adidas attempted to prevent the U.S.-based shoemaker from marketing fashion sneakers adorned with two non-parallel bands.
In a lawsuit submitted to the federal court in Brooklyn, New York, Steve Madden, commonly referred to as the brand, stated they have become “weary” of Adidas’ long-standing grievances over shoe designs that do not resemble their trademark three stripes.
These reportedly include concerns about two Steve Madden shoes released this year: the Viento, featuring two straps, and the Janos, with two straps designed like the letter K.
Steve Madden stated that Adidas’ legal team has requested an immediate stop to Viento shoe sales, citing potential consumer confusion due to similarities in design. Additionally, they indicated to the U.S. Patent andTrademark Office their intention to potentially contest the Janos design officially.
Stripes and similar patterns on shoes are everywhere in the fashion world,” stated Steve Madden. “To clarify, Adidas doesn’t have exclusive rights to all striped designs and shouldn’t be permitted to assert dominance over every shoe featuring lines, bars, straps, or even quadrilateral shapes—whether parallel or straight.
Adidas did not promptly reply to requests for comment when it was outside of regular working hours.
Similar to certain footwear brands like Nike, Adidas occasionally resorts to using U.S. courts and regulatory bodies to prevent competitors from marketing items they deem as counterfeit copies.
Steve Madden, which has its headquarters in Long Island City, New York, was sued by Adidas twice in 2002 for producing shoes featuring two and four parallel stripes. This legal action resulted in a confidential agreement being reached the following year.
This disagreement doesn’t stem from that agreement.
The lawsuit filed on Wednesday aims for a ruling that the Viento and Janos designs do not violate Adidas’ trademarks or their three-stripe design. This would permit Steve Madden to keep selling these products without issue.
The case is Steven Madden Ltd v Adidas AG et al, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York, No. 25-02847.
(Reported by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Edited by Leslie Adler)