Adidas has called for a trademark on the Black Lives Matter (BLM) logo to be refused. They say the resemblance to its own three-stripe design would damage the sportswear company.
BLM initially requested its logo to be trademarked in November 2020. Adidas’ complaint was filed on Monday.
What is a trademark?
A trademark is a word, phrase, design, or symbol seen to be unique to a particular brand.
It gives a company exclusive use of that mark and also adds protection against theft of the intellectual property. It can also prevent other companies from using it or something similar.
Adidas’ trademark case
Adidas says its three-stripe logo has signified the “quality and reputation” of its products. They argue that BLM trademarking a similar logo would impair the distinctiveness of the Adidas brand.
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The U.S. trademark office has given BLM until 6 May to respond to Adidas’ submission.
Previous attempts by Adidas
Adidas previously made unsuccessful attempts to tighten its protection on the three stripes branding.
They had lodged a request in a European Union Court to stop competitors from using any stripes of equal width and distance in their products. It was later rejected in 2019.
The Court ruled then that the stripes were an ordinary symbol and not distinctive or exclusive to Adidas.
