Adidas Opposes ‘Black Lives Matter’ Trademark Application, Then Quickly Runs Away

Adidas is not exactly unknown in the seven circles of trademark insanity hell. The company most famously is a jealous defender of its vaunted 3 slanted stripes" branding. It takes that protective stance to ridiculous extremes, including going after an eSports league for having the E" in question be three stripes, or suing to hell other brands that have dared to sell apparel or shoes with a number of stripes that doesn't equal 3.

It was only a few years ago that Adidas was actually looking to expand its trademark rights on its very, very creative 3 parallel lines branding such that it would hold the mark for them if applied to the product in whichever direction." And most recently, the company made the very masochistic decision to oppose a trademark application for the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation, despite that group's proposed mark being nothing like Adidas'.

Adidas had told the trademark office in a Monday filing that the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation's yellow-stripe design so closely resembles its own famous three-stripe mark that it is likely to cause confusion".

It sought to block the group's application to use the design on goods that the German sportswear maker also sells, such as shirts, hats and bags.

Now, lest you think Adidas has some super valid reason to be this concerned about a trademark application for an organization that in no way competes with it commercially, well, here is the proposed mark from the BLM organization.

Those three stripes you see at the bottom of that logo are what Adidas said was so similar to its own trademarks that it would cause confusion in the public. Now, if you can look at that logo and tell me you think it has anything at all to do with Adidas, then see me after class because it's high time you saw a therapist.

Which is why it is entirely unsurprising that Adidas dropped the entire thing and ran away at the slightest bit of pushback.

A source close to the company said the rapid about-turn was triggered by concern that people could misinterpret Adidas' trademark objection as criticism of Black Lives Matter's mission.

I mean, maybe? But only because, again, the trademark claim was so completely weak to begin with. If the BLM movement had put together a trademark application that essentially mimicked the Adidas logo, the company would be well within its rights, and I would cheer it on, in defending its trademarks through an opposition.

But in this case, it appears that the company was being fairly over-protective of those same rights and then decided to blame fear of the BLM movement for its retreat. Which is cowardice, in my view.