Adidas bends the knee: Sports giant drops copyright lawsuit against Black Lives Matter for using three-stripes logo over fears legal action could be seen as racist
- Adidas Drops Copyright Challenge Against BLM Logo Less Than 48 Hours After Filing It
- Sources said Adidas was concerned the legal action would be misconstrued as the brand opposing BLM’s mission.
- Adidas has filed more than 90 lawsuits and signed more than 200 settlement agreements related to the trademark since 2008
Adidas has filed a copyright challenge against Black Lives Matter less than 48 hours after filing it amid concerns it could make the company look racist.
On Monday, Adidas said the BLM logo was “confusingly similar” to its own, as both featured three stripes in a filing filed with the US Patent and Trademark Office.
But by Wednesday, the German company, which fiercely protects its brand, had withdrawn the lawsuit when sources told Reuters it was concerned the legal action made it appear as if Adidas were taking a stand against BLM’s equities.
In 2020, the sportswear giant donated $20 million to Black communities following widespread support for BLM.
“Adidas will withdraw its opposition to the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation’s trademark application as soon as possible,” the company said in a statement.
Adidas dropped a copyright lawsuit against Black Lives Matter less than 48 hours after filing it. The sportswear brand previously said the two logos were “confusingly” similar.
Black Lives Matter was founded by Patrisse Cullors (pictured), Alicia Garza, and Opal Tometi in 2013, but rose to prominence in 2020 following the death of George Floyd in custody.
Adidas has featured three stripes in its logo since 1952.
Since 2008, he has filed more than 90 lawsuits and signed more than 200 settlement agreements related to the brand.
Meanwhile, BLM was founded in 2013 by Patrisse Cullors Alicia Garza and Opal Tometi, but rose to prominence following the death of George Floyd, who was killed by police officers in 2020.
His yellow three stripes design appears on his merchandise, including bags, clothing, mugs, and other merchandise.
In November 2020, the movement filed for a federal trademark on the design.
Adidas urged the Trademark Office to reject the application, claiming that any “defect, objection or flaw” found in a BLM product could “severely damage Adidas’s reputation.”
It comes after a difficult year for Adidas, which in January lost a copyright case against fashion designer Thomas Browne over its use of a four-bar striped pattern.
Browne had previously worn a three-bar design, but modified it after Adidas first objected in 2007.
It comes after a difficult year for Adidas, which scrapped its lucrative partnership with Kanye West in October. Appears at the adidas show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, Fall 2015.
The rapper had a $220 million annual contract with the German sports brand, but was fired for anti-Semitic comments he made.
A Manhattan jury ruled that Browne’s use of stripes did not infringe the sportswear brand’s trademark stripes.
And in October 2022, Adidas was forced to drop its lucrative partnership with Kanye West after he made a series of anti-Semitic comments.
At the time, the company acknowledged that cutting ties with the rapper would likely have a “negative impact of up to 250 million euros on the company’s net income in 2022.”
The company also cut ties with Beyonce, who partnered with the firm to market her Ivy Park clothing brand in 2019.
It also unexpectedly dropped its CEO Kaspar Rorsted in November.