BERLIN, May 28 (Reuters) - Nike ( NKE ) can put three

stripes on some of its trouser designs in Germany, a court ruled

on Tuesday, in a second appeal hearing pitting the U.S. sports

apparel maker against its smaller rival Adidas.

The Duesseldorf regional court had already prohibited the

U.S. firm from using two or three stripes on five of its trouser

designs after Adidas filed a trademark violation lawsuit in

2022.

Nike ( NKE ) can now use the stripes on four of the disputed models,

while the ban for one remaining model remains in place, the

court said, partially overturning the earlier decision.

The three parallel stripes are a well-known Adidas trademark

that it works relentlessly to protect in various courtrooms

around the world.

A year ago, however, the German brand decided to

revoke

its legal filing against Black Lives Matter's yellow

three-stripe logo, concerned that its objection could be seen as

criticism of the anti-racism organisation.

Nike ( NKE ) claims Adidas' scope of protection is too narrow,

saying that striped decoration doesn't necessarily relate to the

brand it belongs to.