A logo dispute is raging in Dallas (and the similarities are hard to ignore)

The city of Dallas is in a heated logo dispute with clothing brand Triple D Gear after a strikingly similar logo was trademarked back in 2014. Having used its logo since 1972, the City of Dallas alleges that the apparel brand's design is likely to cause confusion, infringing on its heritage identity.

There's no right way to design a logo, yet originality is often at the centre of the creative process. Whether Triple D Gear's identity is purposefully evocative of Dallas' logo remains to be seen, but with nearly identical design structures, it's hard to ignore the similarities between the two logos.

The City of Dallas logo is comprised of a simple curved 'D' design made up of 3 distinct blue lines. At the centre is a green leaf emblem, representing the city's commitment to sustainability. While the logo has been implemented since 1997, it wasn't officially trademarked until 2020, complicating the legal dispute.

Trademarked since 2014, the Triple D Gear logo features a nearly identical 3-line 'D' shape. At the centre is a five-pointed star commemorating the brand's Texan heritage, giving the logo a distinctly graphic appeal compared to Dallas' more corporate design.

Despite the subtle details it's hard to ignore the striking similarities between the designs and it's understandable that at a glance the casual viewer could be subject to confusion. It's unclear how the trademark dispute will play out. but for now, the alleged infringement is one of the more compelling trademark disputes we've seen in recent times. For more logo news, take a look at the Iowa school logo dispute that aims to settle who owns the letter ‘D’.