Why Walmart And Kanye West Are Battling It Out

Walmart (WMT) is going up against rapper and clothing designer Kanye West over similarities in what the retail giant says bear a striking resemblence to its trademarked sun-like logo.

West proposed the trademark for his Yeezy brand clothing line that has a similar look to Walmart's logo, which the retail giant argues “is likely to cause confusion and lead to consumer deception. Walmart claims customers could associate the Walmart brand with West’s products, which include sneakers and apparel, Bloomberg reported.

Walmart filed a complaint against West with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on April 21, saying in its complaint that the Yeezy logo should be blocked because the retailer has been using the sun logo since 2007, according to the filing obtained by Bloomberg.

The Yeezy symbol uses a series of dots, instead of solid lines, that form the shape of sun rays. Walmart’s logo, which is known as the Spark, uses six yellow rays that are formed around a circle.

Walmart also claimed that the logo from West could cause potential “false affiliation” between the two brands, which could “injure and damage” the retailer and the “goodwill” it has worked to establish with its brand, Business Insider reported.

West produces a line of Yeezy sneakers under a partnership with Adidas, and he has filed a new trademark logo application for an upcoming apparel collection in a venture with Gap.

Shares of Walmart were trading at $138.50 as of premarket hours, up 12 cents or 0.09%.