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ADIDAS IS DROPPING its opposition to a Black Lives Matter application for a trademark with a three-stripe design, which it initially complained was too similar to its own logo.
The German sportswear giant had requested the US Trademark Office reject the group’s bid for the design to be used on clothing, bags and elsewhere, according to a source close to the matter.
However, an Adidas spokesman has told AFP that “we are already in the process of withdrawing our opposition to the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation’s trademark application”.
The company did not explain the reason for the move but the source close to the matter said that pursuing the case could have been misinterpreted as Adidas criticising the aims of the anti-racism movement.
The US Trademark Office said on its website that the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation — a prominent organisation in the decentralised movement — had filed the trademark request in September 2021.
The Black Lives Matter movement came into being in the United States about a decade ago in an effort to fight racism, especially in the form of police brutality.
It was reignited in 2020 by the killing of George Floyd, a black man whose videotaped death under the knee of a white police officer was viewed millions of times.
Adidas has faced a series of problems in recent times, notably the end of its high-profile, lucrative partnership with Kanye West after the rapper made a series of anti-Semitic outbursts.
The firm has forecast massive losses for this year linked to the end of the tie-up.
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ALL LIVES MATTER
@Aidy McBride: It was always the logical phrase to use but the mob was fired up and there was no talking to them.
The finger of blame is to be pointed at the media
Radical left ideology
And government
There was no impartial debate or information been given and its set race relations back 30yrs.
Shame on them
@GreenFlag: I remember at the height of the BLM movement people were being shouted down for daring to say that all lives mattered. Completely bizarre.
BLM have no qualms about property rights.
Where have all the liberals and lefties gone?
When this all started if you didn’t take the knee you were a racist.
Listen when corporations, big finance and government is on your side you know you are on the wrong side generally.
I’ll make up my own mind thank you very much and no amount of doxing, intimidation, character assassination is going to keep me quite. I dont care
O’Neills have been blatantly using the 3 stripes for decades
@Maurice Glennon: were using 3 stripes first , you can’t even get some of the jerseys on the ni site as they agree to only sell in Ireland
They look nothing alike??
O’Neills have been blatantly using the 3 stripes for decades
@Maurice Glennon: No it hasn’t. It has the three stripes on the it’s Jersey design, which is legal, but not on the logo, which is trademarked.
@Thomas Byrne: it’s all a bit of a nonsense, trademarking stripes. It’s like when Apple brought companies to court because they used a rectangle. Morally no company owns basic shapes, dots or stripes. It’s a legal nonsense.
Three stripes and your out, oh wait Three strikes and your out.
@Noel Donohue: you are = “you’re”
Check yourself mate.
It’s nothing to do with stripes,it’s about they getting rid of Kanya,it was Nike had the monopoly all over the world,addidas were always a cheaper make,but not worth the price,but he went in,came up with way out designs and made them affordable,that’s why addidas is relevant today..Stand up to the left,wansnt America built on the rights of free speech and Demoracy,Kanye has been badly messed up after them Kardashians,he has bi-polar but he don’t like taking medication he said it effects his thoughts,I don’t think it’s bi-polar.to get to where he is,he could be like Musk,their brains work so different,but that’s OK…
have your say