Walmart has filed a complaint to the US Patent and Trademark Office, claiming a proposed logo design for Kanye West’s Yeezy brand looks too much like the retail giant’s own logo.
In its complaint, filed last week and reported Tuesday by Bloomberg, Walmart argued that Yeezy’s proposed design “is likely to cause confusion, mistake and deception” among consumers, potentially causing them to mistakenly associate Yeezy’s products with Walmart.
Yeezy’s proposed logo consists of eight three-dot spokes radiating outward in a star-like pattern. Walmart’s logo, which the company has used since 2007, has six solid spokes with rounded ends.
Walmart claimed consumers’ potential “false affiliation” between the two brands could “injure and damage” Walmart and the “goodwill” associated with its own brand.
Representatives for West and Yeezy did not respond to requests for comment.
Yeezy, a shoe collaboration between West and Adidas – and soon to include a clothing collaboration with Gap – has helped make West the richest Black American in history. The collaborations are reportedly worth a combined $3.2 billion to $4.7 billion, while West is now worth an estimated $6.6 billion.
Walmart, which said in its complaint that it also collaborates with celebrities, had a market cap of $389.3 billion when markets closed on Tuesday evening.
