Kanye West May Have to Fight for Yeezy Brand Name

Kanye West might have to strap on his fightin' shoes ... because a company has come out of nowhere to compete for the right to use his Yeezy nickname.

According to new legal docs -- obtained by TMZ -- Kanye's company was outmaneuvered by a Chinese company that swooped in and filed trademark paperwork in an effort to stake its claim to the popular Yeezy brand name.

Kanye's company has owned the name Yeezy for footwear since 2013, but for whatever reason abandoned the trademark for other clothing items besides shoes in 2017. The Chinese company -- listed as Fujian Baby Network Technology Co. -- seized the opportunity by immediately filing trademark paperwork for the term "Yeezy Boost" for its clothing products.

The rapper's company then refiled its application for Yeezy clothing, but the trademark office said not so fast ... because the Chinese company now has dibs.

The good news -- Kanye shouldn't have to worry about this affecting Yeezy sneakers, but if he wants to branch out and start making mittens or even g-strings ... he might be in for a legal battle.