World Trademark Review reports
Kanye West sues Walmart over fake Yeezy foam runners – Less than two months afterwe reported that Walmart had filed a notice of opposition against Kanye West’s USPTO application for a stylised sunray logo, the pair are now goinghead to head over accusations that the US multinational is selling fake versions of the rapper’s divisive foam runner shoes.
According to documents obtained by TMZandcited by Forbes, the lawsuit, filed in the Los Angeles County Superior Court, states: “Consumers are purchasing the imitation Yeezy Foam Runner footwear from Walmart on the mistaken belief that the shoes are associated with West and the Yeezy brand.” The filing goes on to claim that under California’s Unfair Competition Law, “Walmart is flagrantly trading off of his and Yeezy brand’s popularity by offering for sale an imitation version of the Yeezy Foam Runner”, costing the rapper “hundreds of millions of dollars” in lost sales, not to mention damage to his illustrious brand reputation.
Most of the products have now been taken down from the Walmart website. In a statement, the retailer said: “The product referenced in the complaint is not sold by Walmart, but rather by third party Marketplace sellers. We take allegations like this seriously and are reviewing the claim. We will respond in court as appropriate after we have been served with the complaint.”
