German sportswear company Adidas AG (ADDYY.PK,ADDDF.PK) said Wednesday it will withdraw its request to block the application by the Black Lives Matter movement to trademark a yellow three-stripe design similar to Adidas' branding.
This move by Adidas comes just 48 hours after it had filed an objection to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office against the use of the three parallel stripes design as it would create confusion with Adidas' famous branding.
Adidas said the proposed design "incorporates three stripes in a manner that is confusingly similar to the Three-Stripe Mark in appearance and overall commercial impression."
A statement attributed to an Adidas spokesperson said, "Adidas will withdraw its opposition to the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation's trademark application as soon as possible."
However, the spokesperson did not offer an explanation for the U-turn decision. Reports suggest that the move is prompted by fears that the objection will be misunderstood as the company's criticism of Black Lives Matter movement's mission.
Adidas has been using the famous branding since 1952. It has filed over 90 lawsuits and inked more than 200 settlement agreements related to the three-stripe trademark since 2008, according to earlier court documents.
The Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation (BLMGNF) had applied for a US trademark for its design in November 2020 so that it can be used for branding merchandise such as clothing, publications, bags and mugs.
The BLMGNF was founded in 2012 after unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin was shot by the neighbourhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman. It again grabbed limelight during the global protests following the killing of George Floyd by a white police officer in 2020.
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