Now that Adidas has cut ties with Kanye “Ye” West and his Yeezy brand, the future of the brand is in flux.
While the details of Ye’s contract with Adidas are unknown to the public, both parties appear to own certain elements within the deal, which began in 2013. In June 2016, Adidas and West announced they had extended their partnership, calling it a “Yeezy-branded entity creating footwear, apparel and accessories for all genders across street and sport.”
In its statement confirming the end of the Adidas Yeezy partnership, Adidas said that it is the sole owner of all design rights to existing products as well as previous and new colorways under the partnership. However, Ye is likely the owner of the Yeezy name. In a 2019 interview with Forbes, West claimed he still owned 100% of Yeezy. However, as Jared Goldstein, a lawyer and the co-author of “Sneaker Law,” previously explained to FN, while West might still own the Yeezy name and likeness, that does not give him control over the future of the actual shoe designs. This falls under the purview of the entity that holds the intellectual property, which is Adidas.
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