(Corine Gatti, Headline USA) Woke sports-apparel corporation Adidas appears to have been kowed by fear of backlash after suggesting that the race-baiting, neo-Marxist group Black Lives Matter had infringed on its brand identity.
The German-based company said in a filing to the U.S. Trademark Office on Monday that a three-striped BLM design was “confusingly” similar to its own iconic logo.
However, Adidas retracted the complaint on Wednesday.
“Adidas will withdraw its opposition to the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation’s trademark application as soon as possible,” said a company statement, according to NBC News.
The Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation had applied for a federal trademark featuring a yellow three-stripe design.
Adidas has been using its logo since as early as 1949, when it was first registered on a football boot.
Since then, the company said the logo has acquired “tremendous public recognition,” according to Monday’s filing.
Adidas also has fiercely defended it over the years, with 90-plus lawsuits and over 200 settlement agreements since 2008.
The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York in January decided in favor of Thom Browne Inc., finding that their use of two, three and four-stripe designs on their apparel and footwear did not violate Adidas’ trademark rights.
The decision was made after a jury trial initiated by Adidas. In the complaint, Adidas stated that the stripe patterns were similar to the Adidas mark.
However, after a full examination of the facts of the case, the jury ultimately decided in favor of Thom Browne, affirming their right to use the stripes designs in question.
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