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Adidas has declared that it will no longer urge that the US Trademark Office reject a trademark application with three parallel stripes submitted by Black Lives Matter (BLM).
The huge sportswear firm should have explained why it altered its mind.
Adidas asserted on Monday that the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation’s design would be difficult to discern from its well-known three-stripe insignia.
It also asserted that its logo had been in use for almost 70 years.
An Adidas representative told the BBC in an email on Wednesday that the company would quit disputing the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation’s trademark registration as soon as possible.
The corporation declined to speak further on the decision.
The Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation is critical to the BLM campaign.
The group applied for a US trademark in November 2020 for a yellow three-stripe pattern that could be used on apparel and luggage.
Adidas stated in a notice of protest to the trademark office that the proposed design contains three stripes that appear and produce a business impression that is too similar to the Three-Stripe Mark.
Those who are familiar with the company’s products and services “would likely assume” that those marketed under the applicant’s mark are from the same location or are connected to, sponsored by, or affiliated with Adidas.
The Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation had until May 6 to respond to the US Trademark Office’s challenge.
When the BBC contacted the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation for comment, the organization did not respond immediately.
BLM rose to prominence after George Zimmerman shot and killed Trayvon Martin, a black 17-year-old without a gun, in Florida in 2012.
Many individuals joined the movement in the summer of 2020 when a police officer kneeled on the neck of an unarmed black man named George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and killed him.
Adidas lost a court battle in January in which it attempted to prevent the high-end designer Thom Browne from adopting a design.
According to the sportswear behemoth, Browne’s four stripes were too similar to its three stripes.
Browne stated that customers might want additional information about the two brands due to differences in the number of stripes, among other reasons.
According to court documents, Adidas has filed more than 90 cases and entered more than 200 settlement agreements over its trademark since 2008.
Adidas claims that the number of stripes on its well-known logo is unimportant. Instead, the firm stated that its creator, Adolf Dassler, experimented with various types and combinations of stripes and discovered that the ones on its emblem stood out the most in photographs.
Adidas Yeezy shoes are “collectors’ items”
According to a US shoe store, people are buying Kanye West’s Yeezy shoes as collectors now that Adidas is no longer collaborating with him.
Impossible Kicks reported a 30% increase in sales since breaking up with Mr. West last year due to anti-Semitic comments he made.
Adidas has stated that it is unsure what to do with the £1 billion (€1.2 billion) shoes left over from its deal with West.
But, Impossible Kicks CEO John Mocadlo claims that consumers have not been scared away.
The US store, which has 17 stores in 11 states, stated that sales had improved dramatically after the connection soured and links were severed last October.
According to Mr. Mocadlo, a pair of Yeezy 350 “Zebra” shoes now costs between $340 and $360 (£285-£302), up from around $260 four months ago.
Adidas said it was considering selling the sneakers and donating the proceeds to charity. However, other choices, such as burning them, were rejected.
The manufacturer also stated that giving the shoes for free was difficult due to their enhanced resale value.
Mr. Mocadlo, on the other hand, stated that the company needs to “do a lot of soul-searching.”
He stated that the item they were sitting on was valuable. Because many consumers still desire the product, many resellers are eager to obtain it.
And the proprietor of the store decided it was fine to sell the goods. He further stated that the sportswear company opposes whatever West says. “We’re selling it because it’s a collector’s item, and there aren’t many of them right now,” he continued.
Read Also: Thom Browne: How did he beat Adidas in court?
Adidas ended its relationship with West, also known as Ye when the artist sent anti-Semitic tweets after displaying a “White Lives Matter” T-shirt design at Paris Fashion Week in October.
The sportswear firm stated that it would not tolerate anti-Semitism or other forms of hate speech.
The split cost the company £534 million (€600 million) in the last three months of 2022, and the corporation warned investors that profits could plummet by at least £444 million (€500 million) in the fiscal year 2023.
Adidas CEO Bjorn Gulden stated, “We shouldn’t make a decision only to make someone happy.” Instead, we should make a decision when the outcomes are the greatest we can achieve.”
