Plaintiff
1 case as plaintiff.
Adidas AG, commonly known as Adidas, is a German multinational athletic apparel and footwear corporation headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Germany. Founded by Adolf Dassler in 1949, with origins tracing back to 1924, Adidas AG is a publicly traded company listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (FWB: ADS) and is a component of the DAX index. As of May 2026, the company employed approximately 64,938 individuals and reported revenues of €23.683 billion in 2024. Its market capitalization stood at $36.2 billion as of June 15, 2026.
Adidas designs, develops, produces, and markets a broad portfolio of athletic and leisure products. Its major offerings include footwear such as running shoes, training shoes, and lifestyle sneakers, as well as a wide range of apparel including sportswear, athletic wear, casual clothing, jackets, and pants. The company also produces accessories and sports equipment. Adidas holds the position of the largest sportswear manufacturer in Europe and is the second largest globally, behind Nike.
In terms of patent litigation, Adidas AG operates as an active litigant, asserting and defending its intellectual property rights as an operating company. The company's sole tracked case, Adidas AG v. Nike, Inc., shows Adidas as the plaintiff. This case, heard by the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC), involved Adidas initiating inter partes review (IPR) proceedings to challenge the validity of Nike's patents. This posture indicates a strategic approach to intellectual property in a highly competitive market, rather than that of a non-practicing entity.
A notable case reflecting Adidas's patent litigation posture is Adidas AG v. Nike, Inc. (No. 19-1787, Fed. Cir. 2020). In this dispute, Adidas, as the petitioner, challenged Nike's patents related to methods of manufacturing footwear with textile uppers, specifically concerning knit shoe upper technology such as Nike's Flyknit and Adidas's Primeknit. The litigation highlights the direct competition between these two industry leaders and their efforts to protect their respective innovations in athletic footwear technology.
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The Federal Circuit affirmed the Patent Trial and Appeal Board's (PTAB) decision that Adidas had not demonstrated that the challenged claims of US8266749 were unpatentable as obvious.