Brooks Sports, Inc. has amicably settled a trademark dispute with Adidas AG with respect to Adidas use of Beast, considered by Brooks to be one of its most famous trademarks.
Launched in 1992, the Brooks Beast is the leading motion control shoe in the running market. Brooks objected to Adidas launch last year of the Beast Commander basketball shoe and the related marketing campaign that included celebrity endorsement and television spots. The companies recently reached a settlement in which Adidas recognized Brooks Sports ownership of the Beast trademark for athletic footwear, which is protected by U.S. Federal trademark registration 2,918,842, and, in exchange, Adidas may continue selling basketball shoes under the Beast Commander and Super Beast names through the summer of 2011.
“Brooks Sports high-performance footwear is well known and trusted throughout the running community. We have a loyal base of customers with strong ties to our footwear, including the Brooks Beast,” said Brooks executive vice president and COO David Bohan. “We feel a strong responsibility to protect our trademark, the equity weve built in the Beast franchise, and our customers.”
