Trademarks involving words or elements common in an industry are generally the most challenging trademarks to protect and enforce. This can be especially true in the fashion industry, where common features such as colors, designs, style, and patterns often play a crucial role in conveying brand identity and exclusivity. While combinations of these kinds of common elements may be capable of serving as trademarks, such trademarks can be challenging to register and to protect because the owner must show more to establish their distinctiveness. Even then, such marks are entitled to a narrower ambit of protection against marks made up of even quite similar elements. The dispute between fashion powerhouses Adidas and Thom Browne over stripe designs reveals the intricacies of brand protection and the scope of trademarks based on common elements especially within the fashion world.