Walmart is accusing Kanye West of copying its logo with his new Yeezy branding

GettyImages 488589090 NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 16: Kanye West poses during the finale of Yeezy Season 2 during New York Fashion Week at Skylight Modern on September 16, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Randy Brooke/Getty Images for Kanye West Yeezy)
Kanye West poses during the finale of Yeezy Season 2 during New York Fashion Week in New York City in September 2015.
  • Walmart has challenged a logo trademark application submitted by Kanye West's Yeezy brand.
  • Walmart claimed Yeezy's proposed logo is so similar to its own that consumers might think the brands are affiliated.
  • That could hurt Walmart's brand, the company said in a USPTO filing first reported by Bloomberg,
  • See more stories on Insider's business page.

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 yeezy kanye west logos
Yeezy's proposed logo (left) compared to Walmart's current logo (right).

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.

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