Adidas has reversed its decision to pursue an objection to a Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation (BLM) application for a trademark with the U.S. Trademark Office. The application, from Nov. 2020, features a design including three parallel stripes.
Adidas originally sought on Monday, March 27, to block the application, saying in its filing the design could cause confusion if it appeared on goods also sold by Adidas, including shirts, hats, and bags. In a notice of opposition submitted to the trademark office, Adidas argued that consumers “are likely to assume” that such goods offered under the BLM applicant’s mark “originate from the same source, or that they are affiliated, connected, or associated with or sponsored by Adidas.”
In a statement emailed to the BBC on Wednesday, March 29, a spokesperson for Adidas stated: “Adidas will withdraw its opposition to the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation’s trademark application as soon as possible.”
According to Reuters, citing court documents from a lawsuit the company brought against designer Thom Browne’s fashion house, Adidas has filed over 90 lawsuits and signed more than 200 settlement agreements related to the three-stripe trademark since 2008. Adidas lost the case against Thom Browne in January 2023.
Image Source: Screenshot from the Black Lives Matter website
