IT’S NOT often a giant, global story offers a prime example of what can go wrong when a company lacks full control of its intangible assets.

But the recent public outbursts from music artiste Ye and their impact on Adidas do exactly that.

On Tuesday (Oct 25), apparel brand Adidas ended its contract with the American rapper to sell his “Yeezy” line of footwear. The sportswear manufacturer’s reason for dropping Ye (previously known as Kanye West) was a series of publicity stunts by the musician that offended multiple groups of people.