Adidas sues Australian fast-fashion label White Fox over four-stripe design it says is 'deceptively similar' to its own

From the Newshound archive · first published 9 October 2026 · last updated 10 October 2026.

Adidas has filed suit in Australia's Federal Court against White Fox Boutique, a Sydney-based online retailer, alleging that its range of sweatpants, hoodies, lounge shorts and socks carry four parallel stripes that infringe the sportswear company's trademarked three-stripe mark. Adidas says it issued repeated warnings to White Fox to cease selling the contested items from March 2026, but the company declined to comply. White Fox, established in 2013 by Daniel and Georgia Contos, denies any wrongdoing, with its legal team contending that the stripes are decorative elements rather than trademark identifiers.

Adidas barrister Patrick Flynn SC told the court White Fox had an 'intention to trade off our reputation', citing an influencer promotion in which the four-stripe shorts appeared alongside authentic Adidas footwear.

White Fox intends to argue that Cotton On, Sportscraft and Glassons are among the Australian brands whose clothing features comparable decorative stripes.

Adidas alleges that product photographs on White Fox's website were digitally manipulated AFTER court proceedings began, with one stripe removed from Adidas shoes shown alongside the disputed clothing.