Walmart Clashes with Kanye West Over Look-alike Yeezy Logo
Walmart is clashing with Kanye West over their look-alike logos.
The retail giant says that West’s Yeezy LLC logo looks too similar to Walmart’s 13-year-old sun logo and wants to have it blocked.
In January, Yeezy LLC filed a trademark application for its stylized sun rays graphic, consisting of “eight dotted lines, each comprising three totally shaded circles, with a total of 24 circles, arranged at equal angles as rays from a sun.” According to the application, obtained by Page Six, Yeezy LLC intends to use the mark in connection with sneakers, underwear, T-shirts, furniture, modular homes, and even hotel services.
On April 21, Walmart filed an objection with the US Patent and Trademark Office, saying “it will be damaged by registration of [Yeezy LLC’s] mark.” The Walmart logo, which has been in use since at least 2007, features sun rays made up of lines instead of dots.
Walmart claims that Yeezy’s mark will create “potential for consumer confusion” and a “false suggestion of a connection” between Walmart and Yeezy. Walmart also opposes Kanye’s intention to use the mark for entertainment purposes, noting Walmart’s marketing campaigns with celebrities including Jennifer Garner, Drew Barrymore, Kendall and Kylie Jenner, Ellen DeGeneres, and more.
West recently filed a trademark for his upcoming YZY and Gap collection, which is slated to hit stores later this year. It has yet to be approved.