She didnt want it; they didnt get it. Ariana Grande is suing clothing retailer Forever 21 for allegedly using her name and likeness without permission to sell new merchandise. The singer is asking for $10 million for the supposed misappropriation, according to Reuters.
In paperwork filed in Los Angeles federal court on Monday, the singer claimed the business and the Riley Rose cosmetics company, which was founded by the daughters of Forever 21s founders, allegedly used at least 30 unauthorized, Grande-related pictures and videos in its marketing campaign. The offending works supposedly feature the singers name, music, and likeness in a way that could lead her fans to believe she supported the products. The company, she claimed, used a model who looked strikingly similar to her and used music and lyrics from her hit Thank U, Next single 7 Rings.
In the lawsuit, Grande claimed the misappropriation came after she and Forever 21 failed to agree on a joint marketing campaign. Forever 21, she said, did not want to pay her enough.
Forever 21 does not comment on pending litigation as per company policy, a rep for the company said in a statement toRolling Stone. That said, while we dispute the allegations, we are huge supporters of Ariana Grande and have worked with her licensing company over the past two years. We are hopeful that we will find a mutually agreeable resolution and can continue to work together in the future. A rep for Grande did not respond to arequest for comment.
Forever 21 is no stranger to controversy when it comes to alleged trademark infringement. In 2011, it faced scrutiny for selling a T-shirt that resembled Kurt Cobains hand-drawn shirt that repped the punk band Flipper. The company temporarily removed it from its website but then relisted it. Our legal department has reviewed the vendors licensing information and concluded that that Forever 21 has the permission to sell this shirt, a rep for the company said at the time.