Adidas Backtracks Concern on Black Lives Matter Logo Design

Facts

• On Wednesday, sportswear maker Adidas withdrew its opposition to a Black Lives Matter application for a trademark on a design featuring three parallel stripes. The reversal took place 48 hours after asking the US Trademark Office to reject the attempt.¹
• Adidas had filed a complaint based on the argument that the logo was to likely 'cause confusion' with its own brand, which would 'dilute the distinctiveness' of the sports brand.²
• The company has not given a reason for the reversal, although a spokesperson told the BBC that the opposition would be retracted 'as soon as possible.' Documents from a different case show that Adidas had launched over 90 lawsuits and reached more than 200 settlements with multiple entities related to its design since 2008.³
• A source close to the company told Reuters that the U-turn was influenced by fears the objection would be interpreted as opposition to the Black Lives Matter movement— which applied for a US trademark of a yellow three-stripe design in Nov. 2020.⁴
• The trademark application was filed by the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation, a leading group within the decentralized movement founded in 2013. Adidas has been using the 'Three-Stripe Mark' since 1952. Representatives from Black Lives Matter have not immediately commented.⁵

Sources: ¹Reuters, ²CNN, ³BBC News, ⁴Guardian and ⁵Fortune.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by Highsnobiety. It is likely that Adidas is still reeling from previous copyright failings and has realized the bad optics of challenging the Black Lives Matter brand. Having been caught in controversies surrounding Kanye West as well as the #PayYourWorkers campaign, the entire case was a bizarre and poor decision once again by the sports brand.
• Narrative B, as provided by OutKick. Trademark law is notoriously difficult to understand, and the Black Lives Matter organization doesn't have the best reputation when it comes to financial matters. Adidas has clearly been associated with the three-stripe branding, however, the Black Lives Matter stripes were of the same continuous size similar to the sports brand. No matter the outcome, you can see how Adidas thought that the filing was indeed worthwhile.