Adidas reverses its stance on the Black Lives Matter trademark request.
Adidas has decided to retract their appeal to American regulators to prevent the Black Lives Matter group from registering a logo that incorporates three straight lines.
On Monday, the German athletic apparel corporation declared in a legal document that their superior logo, which has been in use for over 70 years, would be mistaken for the design of the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation.
Surprisingly, Adidas changed its decision on Wednesday and no longer opposed the trademark application for BLMGNF.
A representative stated that Adidas would promptly retract their opposition to the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation's trademark application, but did not provide a reason for this choice.
According to an insider who spoke to Reuters, the company changed its position because they were concerned that people might misunderstand their objection as an attack on BLMGNF’s goals. This organization was established in the aftermath of Trayvon Martin's death at the hands of George Zimmerman in 2012, and gained more attention during the worldwide protests sparked by the killing of George Floyd by a police officer in 2020.
BLMGNF made a request for a US trademark in November 2020 to use a yellow three-stripe pattern on their branded merchandises, which includes clothing items, publications, bags, bracelets, and mugs.
Adidas lodged a notice of opposition with the trademark office on Monday, arguing that the BLMGNF design features three stripes in a way that could potentially confuse consumers and create a commercial impression similar to their own iconic three-stripe trademark.
The producer from Germany mentioned that they have been utilizing their emblem with three stripes since 1952. They stated that this design has become very famous and people from all over the world are recognizing it.
The business said that customers who are well-acquainted with its products and services are expected to believe that the items presented under the candidate's brand come from the identical origin or have connections, affiliations, associations, or sponsorships with Adidas.
Since 2008, Adidas has taken legal action over 90 times and reached over 200 agreements to resolve trademark disputes involving their three-stripe symbol.
In the first month of the year, a jury in New York discovered that the luxurious designer Thom Browne's patterns of stripes did not infringe on the trademark rights of Adidas.
Adidas is facing financial difficulties after issuing a caution last month that it might suffer a revenue fall of €1.2bn (£1bn) and potentially incur losses this year. This could happen if the company chooses not to dispose of its remaining stock of its products that were created in partnership with Kanye West. Adidas ended its dealings with the rapper due to his controversial remarks about Jewish people.
Last year, the company declared that it will stop collaborating with West, popularly known as Ye, to manufacture the Yeezy line. This resolution is projected to negatively impact the operating profits by €500m in 2023.
Adidas is currently deliberating if they should reuse any of the Yeezy merchandise for retail purposes. In case they choose to completely discard all the inventory, it would lead to an additional €500m loss in operating earnings.
