A Wren Says

A little while back, I wrote about Adidas Groups suit of Thom Browne, on the grounds that the luxury brand was infringing on their Signature Three Stripes. In that post, my thoughts were that it didn’t seem reasonable that consumers would be confused.  With Adidas diehards looking specifically for the correct number of stripes and Thom Browne having a such a high price point, it seemed dicey for an Adidas win. Seems like the jury thought so too. Based on the Reuters’s article, the jury didn’t see that there would be consumer confusion, along the lines of the same reasons I addressed.

When it comes to trademark disputes, you have to look around and see what everyone else is doing. No matter how well you do your thing, you have to lock in on anyone who might be trying do to your thing and take them out. Or, your focus has to be on what everyone else is doing as a survival tactic. This might be great for business, but it is a horrible way to live my life.

I admit have been that person, the three stripe concerned about someone else’s four stripes. The metaphor is failing, but I have been overly concerned that what other people are doing is too similar to my own path. So, I have changed what I was doing to differentiate. Or I told the other person to change. Neither were particularly helpful to me in my pursuit of personal success, nor were they necessary.

As I think back to when I felt my happiest, it was those times I was pursuing my own goals, taking personal initiative to do what was truly best for me. It was when I determined a purpose for myself, instead looking around to check what everyone else was doing first.

Having had this time to reflect, I know that my happiest self is one that is organized and purposeful. When I was finally consistent in working towards the things, I wanted for myself, when I let go of what other people were doing, when stopped worrying whether other people were more successful than me (using similar techniques or not) and got to work, I felt so much better. I am going to commit to doing my own thing, and just doing it well.

Source used:

Brittain, B. (January 12, 2023). Adidas loses N.Y. trial against Thom Browne over three-stripe design. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/legal/adidas-loses-ny-trial-against-thom-browne-over-three-stripe-design-2023-01-12/