Adidas said it would drop its opposition to Black Lives Matter’s bid to trademark its logo design, which, like the sportswear company’s emblem, features three stripes.
The German brand has in the past fiercely defended its logo design, which comprises three diagonal stripes, albeit with mixed success. The Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation’s logo, which the advocacy group is seeking to trademark, consists of three parallel yellow lines on a transparent background.
Adidas had submitted its opposition to the BLM’s logo to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in a filing dated Monday. In the filing, the company said it had been using its three-stripe logo for more than 70 years and that the BLM logo was "confusingly similar."
Trademarking the BLM foundation’s logo would dilute the distinctiveness of the three-stripe mark, Adidas said. "Registration would be a source of damage and injury," it added.
On Wednesday, Adidas said it was dropping its attempt to block BLM’s application "as soon as possible." Adidas decided to drop its objection because the company didn’t want to be misinterpreted as objecting to BLM’s cause, which it supports, according to a person familiar with the matter.
The BLM foundation didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. BLM was founded in 2013 and gained greater prominence in 2020 following the murder of George Floyd, a Black man, while in police custody. The organization submitted its application to trademark its logo in 2020.
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The decision by Adidas to back away from a potential trademark dispute comes as the company embarks on a turnaround plan under new Chief Executive Bjørn Gulden, and seeks to move on from criticism related to race issues.
Adidas last year terminated its once-lucrative Yeezy partnership with rapper Kanye West, who goes by Ye, in response to the Mr. West’s antisemitic remarks.
Earlier this month, Mr. Gulden said the company would proceed with extreme care in deciding what to do with its huge inventory of unsold Yeezy products in light of the offense Mr. West had caused. One option under consideration could see Adidas sell the Yeezy stock and then donate the proceeds to charity, Mr. Gulden said.
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Adidas in 2020 faced employee complaints about the company's culture and lack of diversity. The criticism prompted Karen Parkin, the sneaker maker’s human resources chief and a member of its executive board, to retire. The departure came after she told an employee meeting that racism was "noise" that was only discussed in America, and that she didn't believe the brand had an issue with racism.
At the time Ms. Parkin apologized and said she had chosen her words poorly, while affirming that both she and Adidas stood firmly against racial discrimination.
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Adidas’s move Wednesday to drop its opposition to BLM’s trademark application follows the company’s failure earlier this year to prevent U.S. fashion designer Thom Browne from using a four-stripe motif, which appears on his jackets and other menswear. He had earlier switched from a three-stripe design in response to objections from Adidas.
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The judge in that case ruled that the use of stripes wouldn’t necessarily confuse or mislead consumers and declined to award damages as requested by the German company. Legal commentators said Mr. Brown’s victory could make it more difficult for Adidas to block other logos or designs featuring stripes in future.
