Superstar Ariana Grande has sued Forever 21 for $10 million, accusing the fashion retailer of trademark infringement for using her name and fame to promote its products and a beauty company started by the daughters of its founders.
According to reports, Forever 21 and Grande were discussing a joint marketing campaign back in February, but Forever 21 wasn’t willing to dish out enough money to secure “a celebrity of Ms. Grande’s stature.” The clothing store allegedly decided that the show must go on and launched a rip-off Ariana ad campaign without her.
In a complaint filed in Los Angeles federal court on Monday, Grande said Forever 21 and Riley Rose misappropriated her name, image, likeness, and music. She says the retail giant has used audio and lyrics from her recent No. 1 hit single “7 Rings”, in an attempt to convince customers that Grande endorsed the company.
The singer also said Forever 21 deceived consumers by hiring a “strikingly similar” looking model in a website and social media campaign earlier this year. “The resemblance is uncanny,” the complaint said.
According to Grande’s complaint, Forever 21 and Riley Rose published at least 30 unauthorized images and videos misappropriating her name.
Grande has over 163 million Instagram followers and over 65 million Twitter followers, and a core part of the star’s fanbase allegedly overlaps with Forever 21’s and Riley Rose’s core target markets.
However, in the meantime, CNN recently reported that Forever 21 plans to file for bankruptcy.
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