London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Sep 01, 2025

Adidas withdraws opposition to Black Lives Matter three stripe design

Adidas withdraws opposition to Black Lives Matter three stripe design

The sports clothing company had tried to stop the prominent BLM group from registering a three-stripe trademark used on items it also sells, such as bags and clothes, for fear it could likely "cause confusion" among consumers.

Adidas has withdrawn its opposition to a three-line Black Lives Matter (BLM) trademark.

The German sports design giant had asked the US Trademark Office to reject a trademark application by Black Lives Matter, which featured three parallel lines, just two days before the U-turn.

"Adidas will withdraw its opposition to the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation's trademark application as soon as possible," a company statement said.

Adidas had told the US Trademark Office that Black Lives Matter's design so closely resembled its iconic three-stripe trademark that it was likely to cause confusion and consumers may believe the Black Lives Matter items may be made or connected to Adidas.

Adidas has previously sued Thom Browne over its stripe design but were unsuccessful in the court case


It sought to prevent the design being registered as a trademark and used on items that Adidas sells such as T-shirts and bags.

The group seeking the trademark, Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation, is the most prominent entity in the Black Lives Matter movement, which comprises groups across the world with no central, governing body.

The organisation had applied for a federal trademark in November 2020 for a yellow three-stripe design to use on products including clothes, publications, bags, bracelets and mugs.

The Black Lives Matter movement was launched 10 years ago in protest to police violence against black people.

The three-line design has been used by Adidas since 1952 and has been defended in court multiple times since then. More than 90 lawsuits have been brought and more than 200 settlements have been agreed since 2008, according to court documents from a lawsuit brought against designer Thom Browne and his design brand.

That case was successfully defended in January when a jury found in favour of Thom Browne.

Last month Adidas revealed plans for a huge cut to its shareholder payments as it dealt with the expensive fallout from its failed partnership with rapper and designer Kanye West.

The company admitted it was still yet to decide what to do with a mountain of unsold Yeezy runners, the legacy of its split from West, following antisemitic, and other offensive remarks, he made in October.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Chinese and Indian Leaders Pursue Amity Amid Global Shifts
European Union Plans for Ukraine Deployment
ECB Warns Against Inflation Complacency
Concerns Over North Cyprus Casino Development
Shipping Companies Look Beyond Chinese Finance
Rural Exodus Fueling European Wildfires
China Hosts Major Security Meeting
Chinese Police Successfully Recover Family's Savings from Livestream Purchases
Germany Marks a Decade Since Migrant Wave with Divisions, Success Stories, and Political Shifts
Liverpool Defeat Arsenal 1–0 with Szoboszlai Free-Kick to Stay Top of Premier League
Prince Harry and King Charles to Meet in First Reunion After 20 Months
Chinese Stock Market Rally Fueled by Domestic Investors
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
Ukrainian Nationalist Politician Andriy Parubiy Assassinated in Lviv
Corporate America Cuts Middle Management as Bosses Take On Triple the Workload
Parents Sue OpenAI After Teen’s Death, Alleging ChatGPT Encouraged Suicide
Amazon Faces Lawsuit Over 'Buy' Label on Digital Streaming Content
Federal Reserve Independence Questioned Amid Trump’s Push to Reshape Central Bank
British Politics Faces Tumultuous Autumn After Summer of Rebellions and Rising Farage Momentum
US Appeals Court Rules Against Most Trump-Era Tariffs
UK Sought Broad Access to Apple Users’ Data, Court Filing Reveals
UK Bank Shares Dive Over Potential Tax on Sector
Germany’s Auto Industry Sheds 51,500 Jobs in First Half of 2025 Amid Deepening Crisis
Bruce Willis Relocated Due to Advanced Dementia
French and Korean Nuclear Majors Clash As EU Launches Foreign Subsidy Probe
EU Stands Firm on Digital Rules as Trump Warns of Retaliation
Getting Ready for the 3rd Time in Its History, Germany Approves Voluntary Military Service for Teenagers
Argentine President Javier Milei Evacuated After Stones Thrown During Campaign Event
Denmark Confronts U.S. Diplomat Over Covert Trump-Linked Influence in Greenland
Starmer Should Back Away from ECHR, Says Jack Straw
Trump Demands RICO Charges Against George Soros and Son for Funding Violent Protests
Taylor Swift Announces Engagement to NFL Star Travis Kelce
France May Need IMF Bailout, Warns Finance Minister
Chinese AI Chipmaker Cambricon Posts Record Profit as Beijing Pushes Pivot from Nvidia
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
Ukraine Finally Allows Young Men Aged Eighteen to Twenty-Two to Leave the Country
The Porn Remains, Privacy Disappears: How Britain Broke the Internet in Ten Days
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Welcome to The Definition of Insanity: Germany Edition
Just a reminder, this is Michael Jackson's daughter, Paris.
Spotify’s Strange Move: The Feature Nobody Asked For – Returns
Manhunt in Australia: Armed Anti-Government Suspect Kills Police Officers Sent to Arrest Him
China Launches World’s Most Powerful Neutrino Detector
How Beijing-Linked Networks Shape Elections in New York City
Ukrainian Refugee Iryna Zarutska Fled War To US, Stabbed To Death
Elon Musk Sues Apple and OpenAI Over Alleged App Store Monopoly
2 Australian Police Shot Dead In Encounter In Rural Victoria State
Vietnam Evacuates Hundreds of Thousands as Typhoon Kajiki Strikes; China’s Sanya Shuts Down
UK Government Delays Decision on China’s Proposed London Embassy Amid Concerns Over Redacted Plans
A 150-Year Tradition to Be Abolished? Uproar Over the Popular Central Park Attraction
×