Multi-billionaire, famed musical artist, and politician Kanye West has brought a lawsuit against Walmart for allegedly using the likeness of one his most acclaimed products, ‘Yeezys’.
The fashion mogul who recently signed a multi-million dollar deal with GAP clothing company announced Thursday that he plans to continue his now month old suit against Walmart despite the massive retailer agreeing to remove all pairs of the knockoff items that resemble the Yeezys brand and specifically the Yeezy’s “Foamrunners” shoe line.
Mr. West stated that Walmart is “Flagrantly trading off” of the likeness of his billion dollar brand.
The Walmart produced Beige Daeful sandals and slippers have been removed from thousands of retailers affiliated with the Walmart company, however according to Mr. West, thousands of other companies who had bought shipments of the tipoffs still have yet to stop selling them.
The Walmart-Beige design features the iconic Yeezy forefoot strap and signature `Yeezus´ medallion lacelocks in flared pink.
“Walmart’s conduct is harming and will continue to harm, West and Yeezy,” the suit says, “leaving them no choice but to stop Walmart’s unfair competition and profiting from the popularity of the success of West and Yeezy”.
“Not only are West and Yeezy losing market share for their authentic Yeezy Foam Runner, but also their reputation and the goodwill of the Yeezy brand is being harmed by the association with the Imitation Shoe” the filing concludes.
Its no surprise to anyone that Mr. West would be suing for such a valuable patent. Just in 2008, West auctioned off his “Air Yeezy 1 Prototype” sneakers for a whopping 1.8 million dollars.
Its also worth noting that this is a legal battle that’s been years in the making, starting in January 2020, when Yeezy LLC – one of West’s fashion companies- filed a design with the US Patent and Trademark Office.
–Kel McKnight, B1Daily
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