FASHION LAW: MUSIC MOGULS BEYONCÉ, RIHANNA, AND KANYE WEST UNITE TO SUE ELEVENPARIS
Photo from The 2.0 Directory
With great power comes great responsibility, and with great responsibility comes protecting copyright in the modern era. In a headlining lawsuit, ElevenParis is being charged with unlawful use of brands and images. Many major icons on plaintiff—Beyonce, Rihanna, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Pharrell Williams, and more—have filed a lawsuit on Tuesday in the New York federal court against French clothing line ElevenParis with charges of unlawful use of names, lyrics, and images on a considerable amount of merchandise.
The lawsuit accuses ElevenParis of publicity abuse, willful trademark infringement, unfair competition, and dilution along with blatant statutory and common law violations to some powerful musicians. ElevenParis not only barked up the wrong tree challenging such distinguished tycoons, and clearly very influential entrepreneurs of present, but if they lose this suit the repercussions will be colossal. Not only will they be reimbursing all their profits from the merchandise, they will have to cover legal fees, and most likely hit bankruptcy.
The merchandise in question includes an ample amount of t-shirts, sweatshirts, hat accessories, phone cases, backpacks, and tops. With an extensive list of copyright infringement and invalid name use; phrases such as “HOVA,” “Kanye is my homie,” or “Pharrell is my brotha” are plastered all over the merchandise. With 58 claims in total, ElevenParis seemed to continue with their unlawful profiting. Beyoncé, one of the main superstars leading the charge, states that the French clothing line violated a deal between the two parties, and continued to ignore warnings, including a cease-and-desist for using her brand. Brad Rose at Pryor Cashman is currently representing the Beyoncé and other plaintiffs in this case.
Although none of the apparel can be found on the site’s e-commerce site at the moment, other names are being used. ElevenParis continues to sell pieces referring to legends such at Karl Lagerfeld, Kate Moss, and Notorious B.I.G. Who is to say, others will not be coming forward with lawsuits against the brand. Even with their popular fan base, ElevenParis is in a pickle.
To view the official case document, click here. For more updated Fashion Law articles, check our blog out here: blog.fashionboss.com!
Thumbnail: Zoe Kravitz for ElevenParis
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