A new lawsuit accuses Temu of using the late hip-hop artist MF DOOM’s name and likeness without permission from DOOM’s company, Gas Drawls LLC, according to Complex. The late rapper founded the company in 2011 with his wife.
Temu lawsuit
The 32-page lawsuit accuses Temu of infringing upon trademarks associated with MF DOOM, who died in 2020.
The lawsuit said trademarks owned by Gas Drawls LLC “have been damaged by Temu’s knowing and systematic marketing and sale of counterfeit versions of the brand’s trademark of products bearing counterfeit and/or confusingly and/or virtually identical trademarks.”
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The paperwork filed Monday cited several examples of items using trademarked material, including t-shirts and art prints.
Gas Drawls called for the immediate removal of any product using the trademarks and said Temu is “liable for treble damages, attorneys’ fees, and statutory damages of up to [$2 million] per counterfeit mark per type of goods sold, offered for sale, or distributed.”
Treble damages mean plaintiffs can be awarded three times the amount of actual damages.
Lawyers for Gas Drawls wrote that fans were misled into thinking DOOM’s trademark owners reached an agreement with Temu.
Temu has not commented on the lawsuit.
Other copyright lawsuits
That lawsuit also takes a broader aim at Temu’s overall business. Lawyers called Temu “one of the most unethical companies operating in today’s global marketplace.”
Just last month, European Union regulators accused Temu of failing to prevent the sale of illegal products. Meanwhile, several U.S. states have also filed suits against Temu, including Nebraska and Kentucky.
Boutique retailer Brandy Melville filed suit just last week for trademark infringement.
One of the biggest lawsuits against Temu came from rival company Shein, which accused Temu of stealing confidential information and copying designs. Shein has also been hit with similar lawsuits.
