- Trademark dispute: Adidas is facing a legal challenge that could take away the exclusive design rights to the Trionda, the official match ball for the 2026 World Cup, in Europe.
- Challenger’s claim: Marius Dittmar, the designer, is contesting the protection of the Adidas design, arguing that he had previously designed four similar football panels and that the Trionda design is not significantly different from the 2008 US patent.
- The answer comes from Adidas: Adidas downplays the potential impact, saying that losing the design trademark would only affect their exclusive use of the panel design in Europe, but not the use of the shape of the panels, and that they have other protections in place.
I Adidas Triondathe official match ball for the 2026 World Cup, hailed by CEO Bjørn Gulden as “his favorite product” and “the most beautiful and sophisticated ball ever.” However, behind the scenes, a major legal dispute threatens to deprive Adidas of the exclusive design rights of this much-anticipated football in Europe.
The Adidas ‘Trionda’ 2026 World Cup football has been released
This amazing story was first reported by Christoph Neßhöver in the German business publication, manager magazine.
Adidas May Lose Trionda 2026 World Cup Panel Design Trademark
The defining feature of the new Adidas 2026 Trionda football is its flexible construction. Instead of a multi-panel design (like the old Telstar 32), the Trionda is built using just four large, star-shaped panels.
Adidas naturally wanted to protect this new four-part design to prevent competitors from copying it during the huge World Cup sales cycle. They applied for protection of the design to the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) under the number 015017152-0001.
Importer: Marius Dittmar
However, that protection is now under serious threat. Marius Dittmarthe 34-year-old former professional footballer and owner of the design company 142k, has officially applied to the EUIPO to cancel Adidas’ design protection.
Dittmar, who designs footballs and sports accessories for brands such as Jako and Hummel, says he has already designed four football panels himself. When leaked photos of the Trionda first appeared online last year, Dittmar believed Adidas had stolen his design concept.
Dittmar registered his design with the German Patent and Trademark Office in November 2023.
Adidas had secretly filed its Trionda design with the EUIPO before Dittmar in 2023 but chose not to publish or open it immediately – a common practice to hide upcoming products.
When Adidas learned of Dittmar’s almost identical registration, they rushed to officially activate their EUIPO protection by late March 2025.
The “Prior Art” Controversy.
Because Adidas filed its confidential EUIPO application before Dittmar’s registration in Germany, Dittmar took a different legal route to legitimize Adidas’ claim.
In October 2025, Dittmar applied for the cancellation of Adidas’ protection citing an old US patent from 2008. This 2008 patent, filed by an American inventor, describes a four-panel design that Dittmar argues is strikingly similar to the Trionda.
The core legal debate is whether the Adidas Trionda design is substantially different from the “existing wealth of forms” already established by that 2008 US patent. If the EUIPO decides not to do so, Adidas may lose its exclusive design rights.
Adidas’ Response: “No Commercial Impact”
While losing the trademark would undoubtedly be embarrassing for a brand that has supplied every World Cup ball since 1970, Adidas is publicly downplaying the threat.
When asked to comment by magazine managerAdidas said the cancellation would have no “commercial impact.” They clarified that losing the lawsuit would only jeopardize “the exclusive use of the panel design by Adidas in Europe, but not the use of the shape panel by Adidas itself.” In addition, they noted that they have three different Trionda shields covering panel shape, color composition, and surface layout.
However, if protection falls in Europe, it could open the door for copycats and cheaper competitors to legally manufacture and sell structurally identical four-panel footballs in key markets.
The impact of this dispute extends beyond the 2026 World Cup. Adidas uses this four-panel technology across its extensive football portfolio. The recently released “Conext 26 Pro” ball uses a similar design, and it is likely that the upcoming Champions League, MLS, and Bundesliga match balls will also rely on this four-panel design.
The EUIPO is currently reviewing the case to decide whether the protection of the Trionda design will stand or lapse.
What do you think of this legal battle over the design of the Trionda ball? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
