Adidas lost a lawsuit trying to stop a fashion designer from using the four horizontal stripes design, which has become a trademark mostly on the brand’s socks.

The sporting goods giant said the four stripes of luxury brand Thom Browne Inc. they were very similar to the three stripes of Adidas.

For his part, designer Tom Brown argued that buyers were unlikely to confuse the two brands, mainly due to … a different number on the strips.

Adidas planned to seek more than $7.8m (£6.4m) in damages, but a jury in New York sided with the designer, not the company.

Brown’s clothing is noted to have four horizontal and parallel stripes, either high on the sleeve of the blouse or at the toe.

The design of Adidas mainly consists of three stripes.

However, according to the BBC, the designer’s legal team believed he would lose the lawsuit because he was “dealing” with a giant company.

However, sportswear does not dominate the creations of Thom Browne Inc. and its production is geared towards the wealthy, with a pair of women’s compression leggings costing £680, for example, and a polo shirt £270.

Brown’s lawyers also argued that stripes are a common design for many brands.

However, the two companies appear to have been “feuding” for 15 years.

In 2007, Adidas complained that “Tom Brown” was using a three-stripe design on jackets. Brown agreed to stop using it and added a fourth line.

Since then, Thom Browne Inc has expanded rapidly and is now sold in more than 300 locations worldwide, and in recent years has also added to its collection of tracksuits.