Adidas said it would withdraw an application it filed with the US Trademark Office to object to Black Lives Matter’s application for a trademark with three parallel stripes.
The sportswear giant did not mention the reason for its decline.
Adidas said on Monday that the Black Lives Matter logo design would create confusion with its iconic three-stripes.
She added that she has been using her logo for more than 70 years.
“Adidas will withdraw its opposition to applying the BLM trademark as soon as possible,” a spokesperson for the German company said in a statement emailed to the BBC on Wednesday.
The company declined to make any further comments on the decision.
The Black Lives Matter Network Foundation is the most prominent entity in the Black Lives Matter decentralization movement.
The group applied for a US trademark in November 2020 to design three yellow stripes for use on merchandise, including clothing and bags.
In its objection to the Trademark Office, Adidas said the proposed design “contains three stripes and is similar to and confusing with its trademark in its general commercial appearance and impression”.
The company added that consumers who are familiar with its goods and services are “likely to assume” that those offered under the applicant’s mark “come from the same source, or are affiliated with, associated with, associated with, or sponsored by Adidas”.
The US Trademark Office has given Black Lives Matter International until May 6 to respond to Adidas’ objection.
Black Lives Matter International did not immediately respond to the BBC’s request for comment.
The Black Lives Matter movement made headlines following the 2012 death of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed 17-year-old black youth who was shot and killed in Florida by George Zimmerman, a volunteer neighborhood watch.
The movement gained more support in the summer of 2020 following the killing of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, by a police officer who knelt on his neck.
And in January this year, Adidas lost a lawsuit trying to stop luxury brand Thom Browne from using a design.
At the time, Adidas said that Brown’s four stripes were very similar to their three stripes.
Brown said shoppers are unlikely to confuse the two brands given the different number of steps.
Documents used in the case show that Adidas has launched more than 90 lawsuits and signed more than 200 settlement agreements related to its trademark since 2008.
And according to Adidas, the number of stripes on its famous branding is meaningless. The company said its founder, Adolf Dassler, tested several versions and combinations of fonts, and found that those appearing on its label appeared prominently in images.
