Zion Church Wants Derrick Rose to Help in Trademark Fight
By Prescott Carlson in News on Dec 23, 2011 7:30PM
Chicago Bulls' Derrick Rose sits on the bench watching his team during the fourth quarter of their preseason NBA basketball game and 101-98 loss to the Orlando Magic on Monday, Oct. 19, 2009 in Chicago.
A north suburban church has sent a letter to NBA MVP Derrick Rose urging him to help in their fight with shoe maker Adidas over a trademark.
The Christian Faith Fellowship Church had trademarked the phrase "Add a Zero" in 2006, as part of a campaign to encourage parishioners to increase their donations to the church tenfold. When Adidas attempted to register the trademark for its popular adiZero line of shoes, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office denied the application, saying it was too similar to the church's trademark phrase, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Of course, a multi-billion dollar international company is not going to let some little Chicago area church get in its way, and Adidas has petitioned the USPTO to revoke the "Add a Zero" trademark, saying that the church isn't "using it enough." The company had previously offered the church $5,000 for the trademark, which was turned down.
That's where Derrick Rose comes in.
Pastor E. James Logan, who came up with the "Add a Zero" campaign, wrote a letter to Rose asking him to get involved on the church's behalf. Rose's signature shoe, the adiZero Rose 2.0, will be sitting under many a Christmas tree this holiday season, and Logan thinks Rose may have some pull with the company:
“We are not an affluent congregation, but a working class church in a working class community; and given the state of the economy we are working hard to keep our doors open,” Logan wrote to Rose, who just signed a 5-year, $94.8-million extension with the Bulls.
There reportedly has been no comment on the issue from the Rose camp. Derrick Rose first signed an endorsement deal with Adidas in 2008 for an undisclosed sum.