Adidas and Tesla get into trademark spat over Model 3 logo

The apparel giant has filed a challenge to prevent Tesla from registering the Model 3's logo as a trademark. It's similar enough to Adidas' stripes that it's "likely to cause confusion" and suggest the two brands are connected, according to the filing. It's a tenuous claim – we're pretty sure people know that shoes and electric cars are different things. However, it may not be as much of an issue given Tesla's recent actions.

We've reached out to Tesla, and a spokesperson notes that the EV maker quietly changed the logo to the numeric "3" weeks ago, well before Adidas filed its notice. While the company did withdraw its application for the old three-bar logo on February 7th, it maintains that this was strictly a Tesla branding decision and not a response to the trademark issue. We've asked Adidas for its take on the situation, but it looks its objection is based more on principle than what Tesla is actually doing.

This article by Jon Fingas originally appeared on Engadget, your definitive guide to this connected life.