Adidas won't object to Black Lives Matter group's trademark application for logo
A sign marks the location of an Adidas store inside of a shopping mall on February 10, 2023 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Adidas AG, in a reversal, will no longer object to a trademark application filed by the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation (BLMGNF) for a logo the sportswear company had previously claimed would be "confusingly similar" to the one it uses.
In the logo in question, there are a trio of yellow horizontal stripes stacked on top of each other. The application that Adidas had objected to was first filed by the BLMGNF, a national BLM organization, back in late 2020.
The sportswear company’s move was earlier reported Wednesday by the Wall Street Journal.
Adidas told FOX Business it "will withdraw its opposition to the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation’s trademark application as soon as possible." FOX Business also reached out to the BLMGNF for comment but did not receive a response by the time of publication.
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In a document filed Wednesday with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), attorneys for Adidas "respectfully request[ed]" for its opposition to be "withdrawn without prejudice."
The move came just two days after the sportswear company lodged a partial objection against a trademark application pertaining to the logo that the BLMGNF had submitted to the USPTO.
Adidas argued in the objection notice that people were "likely to assume that the goods and services offered under" the yellow-stripe logo "originate from the same source, or that they are affiliated, connected, or associated with or sponsored by" the company. The registration of the trademark for certain uses, Adidas also claimed, would "be a source of damage and injury" to it, according to the filing.
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Previously, the sportswear company has tried to block designs it deemed too similar to the one involving three stripes that it utilizes, according to the Journal. It reportedly challenged Thom Browne in a case that the fashion designer ended up winning earlier this year.
The Journal and Reuters reported there were worries at Adidas about people potentially misconstruing its action against the BLMGNF logo as one against the BLM movement, prompting the withdrawal of the trademark opposition.
The company’s stock was trading at roughly $79 on Wednesday afternoon, marking an over 3.5% increase from when the market opened and an over 13% rise from where its price started the year.
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