Beyoncé, Jay Z, Kanye West, Rihanna & More Are All Suing a French Brand Over These T-Shirts—Details!

Uh-oh! A-listers join forces to file suit against big-name French brand

By Lindsey Sirera Oct 08, 2015 5:59 PMTags
Eleven ParisEleven Paris

Despite what ElevenParis' shirts may read, Kanye West is most definitely not their homie.

The rapper, along with Beyoncé, Jay Z, Rihanna and Pharrell Williams, is filing a joint suit against French brand ElevenParis for allegedly using their names and likenesses on merchandise without proper consent. Among the questionable merchandise are T-shirts, cell phone cases, backpacks and more memorabilia baring such phrases as "Kanye Is My Homie" and "Pharrell Is My Brotha." The merchandise also includes images of all four celebrities wearing ski masks not dissimilar to Queen Bey's famous "On the Run" tour getup.

In addition to claiming right of publicity violations and willful trademark infringement, the 96-page lawsuit maintains unfair competition and dilution as part of the suit, as each of the five plaintiffs have fashion collaborations and clothing lines of their own on the market.

"Defendants [i.e. ElevenParis] have willfully traded upon the goodwill and notoriety of Plaintiffs, arguably some of the most famous musical artists and entrepreneurs in the world," the suit reads, also citing that lyrics were improperly used on the brand's merchandise. "Even after receiving warnings from Plaintiffs to cease and desist from selling the infringing products… defendants continue to sell [the] unauthorized goods."  

Wearing one of my favorite brands in-between shots. Love @elevenparisofficial #elevenparis

A photo posted by King Kylie (@kyliejenner) on

This isn't the first time ElevenParis has tiptoed over the line of supposed copyright and trademark infringement in regard to celebs—that "Karl Is My Father" T-shirt Kylie Jenner loves? That's by the brand as well. They also produce loads of Kate Middleton-related goods, including tops claiming "Kate Is My Ex."

Also note, there's a peculiar twist in this case: Bey's sis Solange Knowles is currently a spokesmodel for the label. And as the eagle eyes over at The Cut pointed out, a portion of the complaint notes that Bey (plus BGK Trademark Holdings) and ElevenParis had once entered into a confidential agreement, which the French label supposedly breached. Hmmm.

Per the lawsuit, the A-list plaintiffs ask that ElevenParis discontinue the disputed merchandise and shell out an unspecified sum for damages.