By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2024-10-29 20:26:16 | Updated at 2024-11-05 03:51:18
6 days ago
Kanye West and Adidas have settled their legal dispute - two years after the sportswear brand ended their partnership with the rapper over his anti-Semitic comments.
West's $220million annual deal with the German company, which was worth $1.5billion in total, was terminated in October 2022 - after the musician made repeated vile remarks - including an X post saying he would go 'death-con 3 on Jewish people.'
Adidas announced Tuesday they have reached an an out-of-court settlement with West to end all legal proceedings between them - adding that no money changed hands in the agreement.
Adidas and West had been embroiled in multiple lawsuits for the past two years.
CEO Bjorn Gulden said: 'There isn't any more open issues, and there is no... money going either way, and we both move on.
Kanye West and Adidas have settled their legal dispute - two years after the sportswear brand ended their partnership with the rapper over his anti-Semitic comments
West's $220million annual deal with the German company, which was worth $1.5billion in total, was terminated in October 2022 - after the musician made repeated vile remarks - including an X post saying he would go 'death-con 3 on Jewish people'
'There were tensions on many issues, and... when you put the claims on the right side and you put the claims on the left side, both parties said we don't need to fight anymore and withdrew all the claims.'
The axing of West saw him lose his billionaire status - and was among multiple high-profile endorsements the rapper lost in the wake of his outbursts.
The partnership began in 2013, after he let a collaboration with Nike, and was expected to be a ten-year-long production.
Before being dumped by the brand Kanye had already begun publicly sparring with Adidas executives, accusing them of ‘stealing’ his ideas.
West owns the Yeezy brand but Adidas pay him an annual royalty fee to sell the products.
Adidas, whose founder Adi Dassler belonged to the Nazi Party, found themselves coming under increasing pressure to drop Kanye after several anti-Semitic comments.
In a statement Adidas said: 'Adidas does not tolerate antisemitism and any other sort of hate speech.
'Ye's recent comments and actions have been unacceptable, hateful and dangerous, and they violate the company's values of diversity and inclusion, mutual respect and fairness.'
Adidascalled his comments 'unacceptable, hateful and dangerous' in 2022
Adidas announced Tuesday they have reached an an out-of-court settlement with West (pictured with wife Bianca Censori) to end all legal proceedings between them - adding that no money changed hands in the agreement.
The company also claimed that cutting ties with the rapper is likely to have a 'negative impact of up to €250 million on the company's net income in 2022'.
In February 2024 West slammed Adidas for releasing new 'fake' Yeezys without his consent,
West accused Adidas of 'trying to rape your favorite artist' after the brand announced it would begin a 'further release of YEEZY inventory' using their remaining stock, including products from 2022.
The musician claimed the sneakers labeled as his brand by the company were fakes and alleged Adidas were suing him for '250 million dollars.'
In a vitriolic Instagram video West said: 'Not only are they putting out fake color ways, they are suing me for 250million dollars and they're also not paying me - for shoes that they're putting out that have my name on it.
'And they're using contract clauses and 50 years of business experience to rape an artist, one of y'all favourite artists, right in front of y'all in broad daylight.'
He also shared a post of the Adidas Yeezy sneakers and wrote: 'Anybody who loves Ye would not buy these fake Yeezys.
The axing of West saw him lose his billionaire status - and was among multiple high-profile endorsements the rapper lost in the wake of his outbursts
Kanye promised to 'go death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE' in a shocking tweet in 2022
'I never made these color ways I’m not getting paid off of them and adidas is suing me All these celebrities and the public will stand against a T shirt or the color of my hat but when yall see me have my children hidden from me or see an actual Fortune 500 company rape one of your heroes in real life don’t nobody say nothing or do nothing.
'As far as the system goes What yall gone do now Take my album down again Freeze my accounts again Threaten people to not work with me again All the new non approved 350’s are cooorny.'
DailyMail.com contacted representatives for Adidas for comment.
Adidas made donations to the Anti-Defamation League and the Philonise & Keeta Floyd Institute for Social Change, run by social justice advocate Philonise Floyd, the brother of George Floyd.
Shoes sold directly by Adidas in North America included blue square pins established by Robert Kraft´s Foundation to Combat Anti-Semitism as a symbol of solidarity in rejecting antisemitism.
The company has accompanied the sales with donations to groups fighting antisemitism and other forms of hate.
