South Africa, Jan. 16 -- The dispute

Iconix, owner of the Umbro sportswear brand and its registered double-diamond logo (which it has used on football boots since 1987), took issue with Dream Pairs, a footwear company selling shoes bearing a "DP" logo formed by two overlapping diamonds.

Iconix alleged that the average consumer seeing these shoes on the street might mistake them for Umbro products, particularly when the shoe was being worn and seen from above, even if buyers online had not been confused at checkout.

Dream Pairs argued that any similarity should be assessed only at the point of sale, and only by comparing the marks side by side.

After three rounds of litigation, the Supreme Court ultimately reinstated the High Court's f...