A group of high-powered musicians including Beyonce, Rihanna and Kanye West is banding together against apparel company Eleven Paris, claiming that the company is infringing on their images and intellectual property with knockoff products.
Beyonce’s husband Jay Z, and Pharrell Williams are also plaintiffs in the suit.
The complaint, filed in federal court in New York on Tuesday, claims that Eleven Paris has “willfully traded upon the goodwill and notoriety of Plaintiffs, arguably some of the most famous musical artists and entrepreneurs in the world,” by usurping their “names, images, likenesses and/or trademarks for the sole purpose of profiting from the sale of unauthorized and infringing products.”
At issue are a number of items, including shirts featuring images of Beyonce, Williams, Rihanna, Jay Z and West. The suit also claims that a number of items include lyrics from the artists, including the Beyonce lyrics, “A diva is a female version of a hustler.”
The suit claims that unauthorized items are still being sold despite cease and desist letters being send to the defendants.
The products are “likely to cause consumer confusion as to the source or origin of [the] goods” and consumers are “likely to mistakenly believe that Plaintiffs are the source of Defendants’ products bearing Plaintiffs’ names, images, likenesses and intellectual property, or at a minimum that Plaintiffs are affiliated with, sponsored or endorsed such products,” the lawsuit claims.
The complaint lists a number of claims, including violation of right of publicity, unfair competition, deceptive acts and practices and unfair competition.
The lawsuit is asking for an order barring Eleven Paris from selling products bearing the plaintiffs’ names, likenesses or intellectual property, and for unspecified damages.
Pamela Chelin contributed to this report.