Business Insider and Josh Gerben Discuss Adidas’ Decision to Drop Its Opposition to BLM’s Trademark

Just a few days after Adidas filed a Notice of Opposition against Black Lives Matter’s trademark application for a three-stripe logo, the sportswear company has indicated that it will withdraw the court action.

Business Insider and Josh Gerben discuss the decision to retract the complaint and what it may mean for other organizations facing similar filings from Adidas.

“It appears that Adidas pulled this case because of concerns about the negative public relations fallout that could result from litigation against an organization such as Black Lives Matter,” Josh Gerben, founding partner of Gerben Perrott, PLLC, told Insider in an email.

While Adidas’ withdraw of the complaint is great for Black Lives Matter, “there are so many smaller and less notable companies that will still have to defend similar claims,” Gerben said. These companies are unlikely to benefit from or receive similar press coverage and may be unable to afford “the legal expertise needed to defend the claims form such a large company.”

Source: Santana, Danni. BusinessInsider.com. “Black Lives Matter dodges Adidas legal battle, but other brands using striped logos remain targets”. 30 March 2023.