French fashion brand Eleven Paris, home to popular celebrity and fashion designer message apparel, is facing a massive lawsuit at the moment. And by massive, we mean being sued by Kanye West, Beyoncé, Rihanna, Jay Z and Pharrell Williams. According to People, the artists claim they “never gave the label the go-ahead to bare [sic] their faces, names and messages on their apparel.”
They teamed up and filed a lawsuit in New York federal court, stating that Eleven Paris used unauthorized slogans such as “Kanye Is My Homie” and “Pharrell Is My Brotha.” The lawsuit claims the company ignored past cease and desist warnings from the plaintiffs.
The file, which has been posted here, has over 50 different violations. It states that “the Defendants have willfully traded upon the goodwill and notoriety of Plaintiffs, arguably some of the most famous musical artists and entrepreneurs in the world. Without hesitation, Defendants have repeatedly usurped Plaintiffs’ names, images, likenesses and/or trademarks for the sole purpose of profiting from the sale of unauthorized and infringing products, including, but not limited to, t-shirts, tank tops, sweatshirts, hats, backpacks and cell phone cases.” Below are violations, as seen in the official case documents:
Image: official case documents
According to Fashionista, the music moguls have notified the brand several times in the past with cease-and-desist letters, but they paid no attention. “In addition, the French fashion line breached an agreement with Bey and her team from Jan. 2015 to discontinue items with the singer’s image.” The group’s demands? For Eleven Paris to cease manufacturing, cover all profits made and handle any legal fees.
Eleven Paris has taken down all clothing and accessories in connection with the artists. But with celebs like Kylie Jenner sporting “Karl Is My Father” tees from the brand, well, it’s only a matter of time before Karl Lagerfeld joins the lawsuit.
[via People, Fashionista]
