Adidas reverses course on Black Lives Matter trademark opposition
Adidas said it will remove the documents it filed this week to block the trademark application from Black Lives Matter.
BigThink
Hours after news broke that Adidas would be opposing a recent trademark application from Black Lives Matter, the sportswear giant is backing down.
In a statement, Adidas said it will no longer be fighting Black Lives Matter's application, which had been to trademark its three yellow parallel stripes.
“Adidas will withdraw its opposition to the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation’s trademark application as soon as possible,” a spokesman said in a statement sent to Ad Age early Wednesday morning.
Earlier this week, Adidas, which is known as a fierce protector of its brand to the point that it even has a trademark for the words “the brand with the 3 stripes,” filed an opposition with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. In the filing, it said that the three yellow stripes submitted by Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation Inc. could be confusing for consumers.
Black Lives Matter, the entity founded in 2013 following George Zimmerman's acquittal in the killing of Trayvon Martin, did not immediately respond to a request for comment about Adidas’ decision to not block the trademark.
Adidas' opposition was spotted by trademark attorney Josh Gerben, who tweeted about it on Tuesday.
While Adidas has tussled with the likes of Nike, Skechers and Payless in recent years as it protects its stripes, the company recently lost a fight against designer Thom Browne.
Earlier this week, Adidas ended its partnership with Beyoncé for her Ivy Park clothing line. A Wall Street Journal report blamed slowing sales.
The company has also faced public outcry over its relationship with Kanye West for the rapper's antisemitism and racist remarks. After backlash, Adidas eventually terminated its relationship with West, who now goes by Ye, but is now struggling to figure out how to dispose of an excessive amount of unsold merchandise from the collaboration.
