By Reuters via
NBC News
Sportswear maker Adidas backed down Wednesday 48 hours after asking the US Trademark Office to reject a Black Lives Matter trademark application with three parallel stripes.
"Adidas will withdraw its opposition to the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation's trademark application as soon as possible," the company announced in a statement, without giving a reason for the decision.
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Adidas had told the trademark office in a filing on Monday that the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation's yellow stripe design was confusingly similar to its own famous three-stripe trademark.
Adidas wanted to block the group's request to use the design on products the German sportswear maker also sells, such as T-shirts, hats and bags.
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The Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation is the leading entity of the decentralized Black Lives Matter movement, which emerged a decade ago in protest of police violence against Black people.
The group filed for a federal trademark in November 2020 covering a yellow three-stripe design for use on a variety of products including clothing, publications, bags, bracelets, and mugs.
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Representatives for the group Black Lives Matter did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday.
Adidas recalled in the presentation that it has been using its logo since 1952, and that the Black Lives Matter design would likely make buyers think their products were connected or came from the same source.
Adidas has filed more than 90 lawsuits and entered into more than 200 settlement agreements related to the three-stripes trademark since 2008, according to court documents in a lawsuit the company filed against the fashion house of designer Thom Browne.
A jury decided in January that Thom Browne's stripes did not violate Adidas' trademark rights.
