Status: 03/29/2023 10:17 a.m
Sporting goods manufacturer Adidas is taking action against the yellow stripe design of a Black Lives Matter foundation. It could be confused with its own three-stripe brand, the group argued before the US Trademark Office.
Three yellow stripes in the logo of a foundation of the US movement Black Lives Matter have led to a trademark dispute with the German sporting goods manufacturer Adidas. The DAX group is taking action at the American Patent and Trademark Office against the use of the stripe design on clothing, bags and websites, among other things.
Adidas told the agency in an application filed on Monday that the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation’s yellow stripe design could lead to confusion with its own famous three-stripe brand. The group went on to say that it has been using its logo since 1952 and has achieved “international fame and enormous public recognition”.
Influential foundation
The company wants to prevent the movement from using the design on goods that the German sporting goods manufacturer also sells – such as shirts, hats and bags.
Black Lives Matter is a loosely organized movement that has grown in strength in recent years, particularly after cases of brutal police violence against black Americans. The “Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation” was founded in 2013 by the originators of the movement and is considered influential among activists.
Stripes are always a source of controversy
According to the documents, the foundation had registered its trademark design with three yellow stripes in November 2020. It is intended to be used on a variety of products such as clothing, publications, bags, bracelets and mugs. The Trademark Office gave Black Lives Matter until May 6 to respond to Adidas’ objections.
In the past there have always been arguments about the well-known three-stripe logo Adidas. The sporting goods manufacturer from Herzogenaurach has filed more than 90 lawsuits since 2008 and signed more than 200 settlement agreements in connection with the brand. This is according to court documents filed by the company in a lawsuit against designer Thom Browne’s fashion house. A jury ruled in January that Browne’s striped pattern did not violate Adidas’ trademark rights.